ReBirth Dragon
by Nepu
Summary: Natsu thought he had met his end during his battle against ten thousand dragons, but fate had other plans when he awakens in the care of a girl named Compa. Discovering that he is no longer on Earth Land, the slayer's life soon takes an unusual turn as he finds himself getting mixed up with lolis, Goddesses and a mysterious woman seeking to bring chaos to this strange new world.
1. Chapter 1: A Second Chance

**DISCLAIMER**

 **Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima, while the Neptunia series is owned by Idea Factory and Compile Heart.**

 **·····Starting New Game·····**

 _The kingdom of Fiore: a relatively small and neutral kingdom, formerly known as Ishgar in the olden days. Within this kingdom, magic, which was once feared long ago, is a part of everyday life and is commonly seen in nearly every corner. With various shapes and forms, magic is deeply ingrained in both culture and society._

 _For some, however, magic is more that tool to be used, and they make a living by perfecting their craft. Those that do this are known as mages, and are a part of various guilds that take on request as a form of employment. Many guilds exist within Fiore, but there is one stands above the rest, one that has created countless legends since its formation._

 _Fairy Tail._

 _And it is within this peculiar guild that a certain mage became well known, for both his destructive power and his dedication to those he considers friends and family. His name is Natsu Dragneel, a human raised by the Fire Dragon Igneel and taught a forgotten magic that allows him to fight with similar strength to that of an actual dragon, called Dragon Slayer Magic. With his unique power, Natsu and his guild experienced many adventures, often fighting against darker forces and prevailing. No matter how tough the battle, the dragon slayer and his family would always find a way prevail, and with the passage of time his name would be cemented in legend as one of the greatest mages in Fiore and all of Earth Land._

 _However, in one alternate timeline, things did not go as such. In this timeline, during an event known as the Grand Magic Games, an army of dragons ten thousand strong, long having thought to have been mere myths, attacked the capital city Crocus where Natsu and his guild mates were residing. The attack was unexpected, and many people died in the wake of the dragon's rampage, including mages from various guilds. In an effort to push back the invading dragons, the remaining guilds banded together and mounted a counter attack._

 _They failed._

 _The dragons, possessing power and might beyond their comprehension, were far too powerful for the human mages to handle, and one by one they perished until only two remained: Natsu and his fellow guild mate and best friend, Lucy Heartfilia. In effort to protect his precious friend, the slayer threw himself against the dragons with all of his might, challenging the very creatures he was raised to combat. But even his power was no match, and on that day, Natsu Dragneel tragically met his end._

 _But just because something ends, does not necessarily mean it is truly over. After all, it is said that endings are merely new beginnings…_

 **·····Now Loading·····**

Weightlessness. That was the first thing Natsu Dragneel felt as he slowly became aware of his surroundings. It felt like he was in submerged beneath a body of water, his entire form gently floating. Attempting to open his eyes, he found that he lacked the strength to do so. No, it was more like his body refused to obey his will, made evident when he attempted to move his arms, only to find that they would not budge an inch. Struggling a few more times, Natsu eventually realized it was futile to continue doing so and simply allowed himself to continue floating. After a while however, he began to grow bored and restless.

 _Where the hell am I, anyways?_

Frowning internally, Natsu tried to recall what had happened prior to waking up in…where ever the hell he currently was. Upon doing so however, he found that his memory was fuzzy, and trying to recall even the smallest of details proved difficult. With a little more effort, his memory began to clear up, bit by bit. He remembered waking up on Tenroujima Island after being struck by Acnologia's roar, only to find older versions of Jet and Droy standing over him with tears in their eyes. He remembered being told that he and the rest of the Tenrou group had being stuck inside a barrier for seven years, and that Fairy Tail had lost its place as the top guild in Fiore.

Soon, more memories became clear, like how they reunited with the remnants of their guild, and their decision to participate in the Grand Magic Games to regain their number one spot. They had participated in the games, and though they struggled in last place at the beginning, they eventually found their momentum and came out on top at the end. And then, just as Fairy Tail had been announced the winners…

The dragons appeared.

Like a storm, the mighty and mastodonic creatures had swept through Crocus, wreaking destruction and death in their wake. Thousands died, including his own guild mates, whom had tried vainly to fight back. And when he himself fought against the dragons, attempting to save Lucy...

 _I died_.

The words echoed in Natsu's mind, repeating themselves over and over again as if to taunt him. His strength, his magic, even his determination; none it had mattered before the might of the dragons.

Natsu hated it. He hated the fact that he been so weak, that despite being a dragon slayer, he was unable to protect his comrades.

A bitter feeling rose within the pinkette as he mirthlessly chuckled in his head.

 _You must be pretty disappointed in me, eh Igneel? I couldn't even kill_ _ **one**_ _dragon. My friends, my family…they're all gone because I was too weak to protect them. Too weak to_ _ **save**_ _them._

If only he had been stronger, if only he had trained harder, then maybe things would have turned out differently. But he hadn't, believing that so long as his comrades were at his side, that he could overcome any enemy or obstacle.

And now he was dead, along with everyone he cared about.

Perhaps that was why Igneel had abandoned him. The dragon must have realized that the child he had been raising wasn't going to be strong enough, so he left to find someone more capable.

 _If that's the case, then maybe I deserve to be dead._

The bitter thought rang loudly in Natsu's head, but before he could continue wallowing in more self depricating thoughts, he suddenly felt something. A strange tingling sensation, starting from the tips of his toes up to the top his head, passed through him. Once the sensation faded, a feeling of soreness assualted his body.

The dragon slayer was left utterly confused at what had happened. But his confusion was raised even further when he became aware of a soft and comforting feeling surrounding his body. It was almost like he was laying on a bed.

 _What the hell's going on?_ Natsu thought with an internal frown, unkowingly clenching his right fist before he realized what he had done. _Wait..my body!_ He unclenched his fist. _I can move again!_ He realized in shock. With the realization that he was now in control of his own body again, the slayer slowly opened his eyes to find himself staring at a Beige colored ceiling. A ceiling lamp shone brightly overhead, eliciting groan of annoyance from him as he brought his right arm up to block the light.

"Ugh..."

Another groan escaped Natsu's lips, though this one was of pain. It felt like he had needles stabbing into every muscle in his body, and even the slightest movement would cause discomfort. Yet it did little to distract him from the startling realization that came to him.

 _I'm…alive?_ The slayer thought to himself, his eyes growing wide with disbelief. He was pretty sure he had died in the ruins of Crocus, so how was he still amongst the living?

Frowning at the numerous questions that were beginning to fill his head, Natsu slowly and painstakingly sat up, ignoring his protesting muscles. Once he had that accomplished, he looked down to find that he had been, in fact, laying on a bed. The thick pink blanket with peach colored hearts that had been covering his upper body now lay at his lap, revealing bandages that were wrapped tightly around his arms, chest and abdomen. Once he was done looking over himself, the slayer looked around the room he was in. It was rather small, having a drawer in the corner of the room and a closet, but the thing that stood out the most was the color.

Pink. It was everwhere; the walls, the furniture, curtains. Various shades of pink painted every corner of the room, save for the ceiling and the tile floor, which was purple.

A frown soon formed on Natsu's face. _Where am I?_ He pondered before he heard a door open, followed shortly by a gasp.

"Oh, you've finally woken up!" A high pitched, feminine voice cried out, followed by the sounds of footsteps rushing towards him.

Turning his head towards the voice, Natsu saw a girl approaching the bed, with long and light pink hair, light skin, pink eyes and an impressive bust. She was wearing a sleeveless, light tan wool knit sweater with matching arm warmers, boots, a red plaid skirt and black socks with pink frilly trimming that stopped mid-thigh. There was also a black hair band bearing a white 'C' on her head, a black choker with a pink heart symbol around her neck, and black and white a hip purse hanging around her waist.

As she came to a stop before him, Natsu saw that the girl was looking at him with concern in her eyes, a small bowl and towel in hand.

"...Who are you?" The slayer asked curiously as he furrowed his brow.

The pink haired girl's expression immediately brightened at his question. "My name is Compa." She said cheerfully. "And you are?"

Natsu stared at the girl for a moment as he registered her name, before giving his own. "Natsu Dragneel." He answered, before proceeding to glance around the room. "Do you mind telling me where I am?" The slayer questioned curiously.

"You're in my apartment." The pink haired girl replied, causing Natsu to turn his gaze back to her. "You see, last night I was walking home from the store, when I found you inside of an alleyway, unconscious!" She said with a look of disapproval. "You were pretty banged up, so I brought you here and patched you up."

 _That explains the bandages._ The dragon slayer mused thoughtfully. _But how did I end up in an alleyway?_ He couldn't help but wonder. Last he remembered, Crocus had been pretty much leveled by ten thousand dragons. Not only that, but Compa seemed rather calm and cheerful, not at all panicked like many of the people were during the attack. Something was definitely off here. "Hey Comp-urk!" Natsu suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdominals, cutting him off mid-sentence and causing him to hunch forward with arms over his abdomen.

"Ah, please don't move around too much! Your body hasn't fully healed!" Compa shouted as she placed her hands on his shoulders and attempted to push him back down onto the bed.

However, Natsu struggled against her grip. "I-I'm fine, this is nothing!" He protested despite the obvious pain he was in.

"But you still need rest!" The girl fretted and she began to push down more forcefully.

The two pinkettes continued to struggle with one another, which soon turned into a grappling match as Natsu attempted to break free from Compa's grip. However, due to his current state, he had little strength to push the girl off. In a last ditch effort, the slayer tried rolling to the side, but he soon realized his mistake when he ended up falling off of the edge of the bed while pulling her down along with him. The two landed with a thud on the floor, with Natsu falling flat on his stomach and Compa landing rear first on his back.

"Owie…" The pink haired girl said as she gingerly rubbed her rear, unaware that she was currently sitting on the slayer's back.

"Ugh…can you…get off?" Natsu complained with a pained expression, causing Compa to jump to her feet.

"I-I'm so sorry!"

The slayer grunted as he steadily pushed off of the ground and managed to pull himself back onto the edge of the bed. Sweat rolled down his his face, showing that the simple action took an insurmountable amount of effort in his current condition.

"P-Please don't force yourself like that. You have to allow your body to rest." Compa reiterated with a frown of concern.

Hearing that, Natsu let out a grunt. He hated being told what to do, but there really wasn't any other choice at the moment. Running a hand through through his messy hair, the slayer then let out a long sigh.

"So…where exactly are we?" Natsu finally asked.

Compa's expression quickly fell into one of confusion at the question. "What do you mean, Natsu? Don't you know where we are?" She replied with her own question.

Natsu crossed his arms over his chest. "Last I checked, I was in Crocus, the capital of Fiore." He replied, but his answer only served to further confuse the girl.

"I've never heard of Crocus or Fiore before." Compa replied with an uncertain frown. "The only landmasses that I know of are Lastation, Leanbox, Lowee and the one we're currently on, Planeptune." She stated.

The mage paused, a feeling of unease beginning to well up within him. "Never heard of 'em. And what do you mean 'landmasses'?" The slayer questioned with a firm frown.

Compa stared at the slayer as if he had grown a second head. "You…you really don't know, do you?" She questioned with worry in her tone.

A vein was now throbbing on the slayer's forehead. "Hey, I'm being serious here!" He retorted with annoyance.

For a moment, Compa said nothing, only staring at her fellow pinkette with a look of uncertainty. Then, slowly, she turned towards the door and motioned the boy to follow her.

Natsu frowned, but said nothing and complied. Finding that some of his strength had returned, the slayer pushed off the bed and followed the pink haired girl as she moved into the next room. As he entered, he found a small living room complete with furniture and a rug, and as with the previous room, had variations of the color pink on most of the surfaces.

"Over here." Compa's voiced drew the slayer from his investigation of the girl's room to find her standing in front of a pair of sliding windows.

 _I guess she wants me to look outside?_ Natsu thought with a puzzled expression. Deciding to just get things over with, the slayer walked over and opened one of the windows before stepping outside. The light from the sun blinded him for a moment, forcing him to shield his eyes. Once his eyes adjusted and he finally took a look, he immediately froze on the spot.

Sleek white and blue buildings of an unfamiliar design littered the area as far as his eyes could see, and a massive tower stood in the center above all else with a strange light shining at its peak. But what truly caused Natsu's heart to nearly stop were the three enormous floating islands that lingered far into the distance.

Seeing such a sight, the dragon slayer could only remain rooted in place as his mouth slowly went agape.

"This is Planeptune." Compa spoke from behind him. "The most advanced landmass in Gameindustri."

At that moment, only a single thought echoed through the slayer's head.

 _You've got to be shitting me_.

 **·····Now Loading·····**

She was the world's everything, a physical representation of all of the knowledge and history of Gameindustri compiled into one being. She had, for generations, assisted the one who made her, the True Goddess, and watched carefully over the world of the humans. Even after the True Goddess had left and she herself had been sealed away into a book, she continued with her duty, recording the history of the world and aiding those in times of need.

 _I am Histoire. I stand for the world's everything and the world is my everything. There is not a single thing I do not know._

And yet now, for the first time since her creation, Histoire was utterly and completely baffled. Confused. Flabbergasted even. Not matter how many times she reviewed her knowledge, recordings etched into her very being, she could not find a single instance of such a thing ever happening before in the past.

Roughly eight hours ago, an individual of unknown origin had suddenly appeared within Planeptune, quite literally out of thin air. No portals, no type of summoning ritual, nothing. They just simply materialized into the world without any sign or warning.

The implications of such a thing were staggering to say the least. Never in the history of Gameindustri had something like this happened. While she had entertained the notion of other worlds other than her own possibly existing, she never once thought someone from another one would come here. It was both exciting and concerning at the same time, but that was to be expected.

So far, there was little information on this individual, save for a name.

 _Natsu Dragneel._

Histoire spoke the name with curiosity, as well as with a hint of caution. This individual was a foreign entity, one whose very presence could potentially and dramatically alter the course of Gameindustri's fate, for better or worse. For now, she would continue observing and recording, as she always had in the past.

It was all she could do in her current state after all.

As Histoire continued to ponder over the world's newest inhabitant, she suddenly found her attention drawn towards the land that resided far above Gameindustri. Sensing the clashing of weapons and divine energies, she released a weary sigh, already knowing what this signified.

The Goddesses were fighting in Celestia once again.

 **·····Save Complete·····**

A bit short, but I thought I'd start the intro off small before releasing bigger chapters afterwards. Any thoughts or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 _ **[Updated 8/28/18]**_


	2. Chapter 2: Ryuusei no Bifröst

**DISCLAIMER**

 **Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima, while the Neptunia series is owned by Idea Factory and Compile Heart.**

 **·····Save File Loaded·····**

"…So, let me see if I've got this right." Natsu began, sitting in a cross legged position in the center of the bed while Compa sat at the edge across form him. "This world is made up of four floating island thingies called 'landmassess'…"

The girl nodded once.

"...And each one of them is ruled over and protected by some goddess chick?"

Compa nodded again. "Yessy."

Natsu could only stare incredulously at the girl.

After getting over his initial shock upon witnessing the futuristic-looking city that was Planeptune and the floating islands, Compa had spent the last few minutes explaining the basics of this world to him. Of course, a lot of the details went right over the slayer's head, but he had gotten the gist of it.

At first Natsu thought the girl was trying to play a prank on him, but those doubts had quickly vanished when she had pulled out a map of this so called Gameindustri and showed it to him. Seeing a bunch of floating islands hovering over an infinite sky was a bit startling, and he even turned slightly green when Compa pointed out that all of the landmasses slowly _moved_ around one another.

Honestly, it was all just too much for the slayer to take in.

 _Ugh, this is making my head hurt._ Natsu thought with a groan as he began to rub his temples. Not only had he somehow survived his encounter with the dragons, but he had ended up in a different world on top of that. Even for him, this was a bit much.

"But that was really surprising." Compa suddenly spoke, pulling the male pinkette from his thoughts. "I don't think I've ever met someone who didn't know a single thing about our world. Maybe you got bonked too hard on the head and you forgot?" She said, giving Natsu a worried glance.

"Nah, it ain't that." The slayer replied, crossing his arms over his chest with a sigh. "I still remember everything. It's just that I seriously don't know anything about _your_ world." He tried to explain to the girl.

Compa merely titled her head cutely in confusion at the pink haired male, with numerous question marks appearing visibly above her head.

Seeing the girl's expression, Natsu decided to stop beating around the bush and get straight to the point. "Basically, I'm from another world." He revealed casually, as if he was simply pointing out the weather.

Silence overtook the room as Compa took a moment to process what the boy had said. "Eh?" She blinked, before the full weight of his words came crashing down on her. "EH?!"

Natsu couldn't help but sweat drop at her reaction. _Is it really that surprising?_ He wondered.

"Y-You're from a-another world?!" Compa said with wide, disbelieving eyes, much like a child who had just been told that Santa Claus wasn't real. "B-b-but if that's t-true, t-then doesn't that make y-you an a-alien?!" She quickly pointed out with a frantic look.

"Uh, I guess?" The pink haired mage replied with a shrug of his shoulders. Honestly, he didn't see what the big deal was. His former guild mate, Mystogan, was from another world, and when he found out about it, he didn't freak out all that much. Hell, he was more surprised with the fact that the guy was actually a prince than anything else.

"B-but why did you come here?" Compa suddenly asked.

A frown quickly formed on the mage's face as he recalled the intense battle he was in before he woke up in this world. "I don't know...last thing I remember was fighting against a bunch of dragons, before one of the scaly bastards managed to get a good hit in on me and I blacked out. After that, I woke up here." He explained, though he decided to hold back a lot of the details. Natsu knew that if he talked about what really happened, he'd have a hard time trying to keep his emotions in check.

Compa went wide eyed at hearing the pinkette's story, his words and expression pulling her from her previously frantic state.

Natsu let out a sigh as he continued. "And now I'm stuck here, with no idea how to get back."

As the mage finished his explanation, Compa could only stare at him with a look of sadness and pity. While she herself had never travelled to another world, she could only imagine how it would feel if she suddenly found herself stranded in some place far away from her friends and family. "I'm so sorry…" She said quietly.

Noticing the girl's saddened expression, Natsu tried to assure her. "Hey, don't feel bad about it. Besides, it ain't the first time I've gotten stuck in a different world." He said, remembering his time in Edolas. Granted, at the time he was willingly traveling to a different world rather than being unknowingly plucked from his own.

A surprised expression quickly formed on Compa's face, but before she could question Natsu on his claim, a loud growl caused her to jump slightly with a startled look.

"Err." Natsu turned to the pinked haired girl sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "You got anything I could eat? I'm starving." He said with a small chuckle.

The pink haired girl blinked owlishly at the pink haired boy. _That was his stomach?!_ She thought in mild fright, before composing herself. "Uh, I think I might have some food leftover in my fridge." She said thoughtfully. The girl then stood up from the bed and quickly left the room.

With Compa momentarily gone, the dragon slayer's sheepish expression was immediately replaced with a frown. His shoulders sagged as his gaze fell towards the bed, and after a moment, he released a long sigh. _It really happened, didn't it?_ He asked himself, even though he already knew the answer. It was all just so surreal to him; the dragons appearing, his entire guild falling one by one, and his final stand and 'death' before waking up in this world. It was like being woken up from a bad dream, only to find out everything in it had actually happened.

 _Damn it._ Natsu thought as he felt his heart tighten painfully. He wanted to scream, to roar, to cry, to do _something_ , but he knew he couldn't. He didn't want to worry Compa more than she already was for him, and he especially didn't want her asking questions that he wasn't ready to answer just yet. All he could do now was keep his emotions in check until he could figure out what to do about his current situation.

As the slayer began to sulk, he heard Compa enter the room once again. Looking up, he saw that she was carrying a small tray, and on it was a small bowl filled with what looked like chocolate pudding, a spoon and a glass of water.

"The only thing I could find was some pudding I made the other day, but there wasn't a whole lot of it left over. I can make more if you like it though." The girl said with a smile as she set the tray down on the side of the bed. She then grabbed the bowl and spoon, sat down next to the mage and took a spoonful of pudding. "Now open up and say 'Ah…'" She said as she leaned forward and held the spoon in front of his face.

Natsu raised an eyebrow at what she was doing. "Uh, you know I can feed myself, right?" He stated with a flat look. While he appreciated the gesture, he didn't want to be treated like he couldn't take care of himself.

"But you need to regain your strength! Stressing yourself out unnecessarily will only hamper your recovery." Compa chided, but the mage was remaining firm.

"Compa, I can-" Natsu began, but stopped midsentence when he saw the girl do something he wasn't expecting.

"A-Am I being annoying?" She asked, her eyes became watery and her lower lip began quivering, much like a puppy that had been kicked.

 _W-what's with that look?_ Natsu wondered, suddenly beginning to panic. If there was one thing the slayer hated more than transportation, it was seeing someone shed tears.

"Sniff…I guess I'll just go away then, since I'm only being a nuisance to you…" Compa sniffled sadly, looking like she was only a few seconds away from crying her eyes out.

Not wanting to see the waterworks start, Natsu quickly took action. "N-no, it's okay! You can feed me! Just don't cry!" He yelled, waving his hands around in a panic.

Like magic, Compa immediately did a full one eighty as her expression brightened like the morning sun. "Yay!" She said happily as she brought the spoon up to his mouth again. "Now open wide and say 'Ah...'"

Natsu felt his eye twitch as he stared at the spoon, grumbling about how he could do it himself, before finally relenting and opening his mouth. As he did so, Compa suddenly shoved the spoon inside, prompting him to close his mouth. Instantly, his eyes went wide as the flavor hit his tongue.

"Whoa, this pudding stuff you made is really good!" The slayer exclaimed as the girl pulled the spoon from his mouth, causing her smile to widen.

"I'm so happy to hear that!" Compa replied happily with a faint blush on her cheeks. It was the first time anyone had ever praised her for something like that.

And so, for the next five minutes, Compa continued to feed Natsu, who was more than happy to allow the girl to do so despite his initial reluctance. When the pudding ran out, the pink haired girl went to make more, but she soon underestimated just how big of an appetite Natsu possessed. It wasn't until after the thirtieth run that the mage finally reached his fill.

"Oh man, that really hit the spot." Natsu said as he patted his full stomach. "Thanks, Compa."

The aforementioned girl smiled weakly, feeling a little worn out from having to run back and forth between her bedroom and kitchen. Regardless, she was really happy that Natsu liked her pudding. "You're welcome, Natsu." She said happily as she placed the dirty dishes onto the tray and picked it up. "Before I go get this cleaned up, is there anything else that you need?" Compa asked.

A thoughtful look formed on Natsu's face as he rubbed his chin, before his eyes widened. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" He exclaimed loudly, prompting to girl to tilt her head curiously. "Do you know what happened to the rest of my clothes?" The mage questioned. He had been meaning to ask about his lack of clothing, but with the shock of finding out he was still alive and in a new world, it had slipped his mind completely. While he wasn't particularly worried about his coat, he was deeply concerned about his scarf. The precious gift Igneel had left for him before vanishing was his most cherished possession, and he would never forgive himself if something were to happen to it.

Compa's eyes quickly went wide at the mention of the boy's clothing. "Oh, your coat and scarf? They were pretty dirty when I found you, so I took them off to get cleaned." She explained, much to the slayer's relief. "They should be dry by now…let me go grab them." The girl said before leaving the room. After a brief wait, she returned with the missing articles of clothing, with each one folded neatly on top of one another in her hands.

"Here you go, Natsu~!" Compa said cheerily as she placed the clothing on the bed.

Natsu said nothing as he stared at the familiar, scaled patterned scarf, before a small smile formed on his lips. "…Thanks, Compa." He said, his tone grateful. He then reached out and grasped the fabric, feeling that it was softer than it usually felt, much to his surprise. _Huh, she really went all out cleaning this._ The slayer thought to himself. It even smelled cleaner than before.

"Aw, it was nothing." Compa replied bashfully. "Well, if that's all, then I'll be going now. If you need anything else, just yell, okay?" She said with a smile, before excusing herself.

As soon as the door closed behind the girl, the slayer's expression quickly fell once again. Falling back onto the bed, he found himself staring at the ceiling before a single question came to the forefront of his mind.

 _What the hell do I do now?_

The question lingered, like a fly buzzing around Natsu's head, before he suddenly let out a growl of frustration. _Damn it, why the hell does this have to so freaking complicated?!_ He thought as he gripped his head with his hands, wanting nothing more than to tear his own hair out. His head hurt, his body felt like crap and all he wanted was to go home to see his friends' smiling faces once more. Instead, all the dragon slayer could do was lay in bed while he tried to come to terms with the fact that everyone he cared about was gone, and that there was likely no home to return to even if he did find a way back to Earth Land.

Releasing a sigh, Natsu removed his hands from his head and closed his eyes. He was tired, oh so tired, and at this point he simply wanted to just sleep. He attempted to do just that, but the numerous thoughts and unanswered questions that kept popping up in his head kept him awake, and after about an hour and a half of tossing and turning, it became clear that sleep wasn't going to happen any time soon.

With an irritated grumble, the slayer sat back up and stared down at his clothes, which were still sitting at the end of the bed. Debating with himself for a moment, Natsu eventually came to a decision as he reached out and grabbed his scarf. Wrapping it around his neck, he grabbed his waistcoat next and threw it on before throwing his legs over the side of the bed. He then looked around the room for a bit, trying to locate his sandals, before spotting them over by the door next to a pair of fuzzy pink slippers. Making his way over, he slipped them on before giving himself a once over.

Overall, Natsu looked much the same as he did during the aftermath of the Grand Magic Games, save for the bandages covering his upper body, hiding his well-toned physique that was usually exposed for the world to see.

Nodding to himself in satisfaction, the slayer slowly made his way over to the door and grabbed the handle. Holding his breath, he slowly pushed the door open slightly and peered inside. The room was empty, with no sign of Compa. While he hated doing this behind the girl's back, he knew she would never allow him to leave the bed in his condition. Cautiously, he opened the door fully and slowly stepped inside, being careful not to make too much noise as he shut the door behind him. As Natsu carefully made his way over to the sliding windows, he quickly slid one open and quietly slipped outside.

 **·····Now Loading·····**

 _The air sure is different here_. The dragon slayer thought as he leaned over the railing of the balcony, his obsidian eyes taking in the sight of the towering structures before him. It still boggled his mind just how much more advanced Planeptune was compared to the cities of Earth Land. Even Crocus paled in comparison, and it had been one of the most jaw dropping sights he had ever seen prior to his arrival in Gameindustri. For any other person, seeing such a beautiful sight would be enough to instill awe and put them at ease.

Of course, Natsu was a different story.

Though appearing seemingly calm from the outside, on inside he was anything but. The dragon slayer had never felt so lost and confused in his entire life, even more so than the time Igneel had abandoned him. Fairy Tail had meant everything to him, but with his precious family gone, he merely felt emptiness inside of him, like a part of his very soul had been ripped away from him.

For the first time in his life Natsu felt truly and utterly alone.

Taking a deep breath, the mage exhaled as he closed his eyes. Memories began to flash in his mind, of the times he had spent going on jobs with his team and interacting with his fellow guild mates. He remembered all of the times he was punished by Erza and Makarov for being too destructive on jobs, being admonished by Lucy for breaking into her home, and fighting with Gray and Gajeel over the smallest of insults. Every moment he had spent with his guild played like a series of clips, and with each one he could feel his heart break apart more and more.

"Why?" Natsu whispered in a desperate tone as he gripped the railing tightly and lowered his head. It wasn't long before tears began to flow freely from his eyes. "Why did I live, while they all died?"

Silence was all that answered the slayer's question.

Releasing a deep, shuddering breath, Natsu eased his grip on the railing and pulled his hands back, revealing several impressions where his fingers had been. He was oblivious to this however, as he merely stood frozen in place like a statue while staring out at the city, unaware and uncaring of everything around him as his tears continued to fall. Even after the sun had long set and night had fallen, he continued to remain motionless.

All things must come to an end however, and eventually Natsu broke his silence as he began to wipe his tears away. _I better go back inside before Compa figures out I'm gone._ He thought as he spared one more glance at the city. With a sigh, he turned around and began heading towards the door. Reaching out to grab the handle, the slayer stopped suddenly when he noticed something shining brightly out of the corner of his eye. As he turned around, he managed to look up just in time to see something streak across the sky before vanishing. The slayer was confused for a moment, but his confusion quickly gave way to surprise when he saw brief flash of light in the distance, followed by a loud boom that echoed throughout the area.

 _What the hell was that?!_ Natsu couldn't help but wonder with wide eyes, as he stared in the direction he had seen the light. It was quite a ways away, and as he squinted his eyes he could faintly make out a column of smoke rising in the air.

"What was-Natsu?!" He heard Compa's voice as she came rushing out onto the balcony, causing him to turn to her. "What's going on? Why are you out here, and what was that noise?!" She rapidly questioned him.

"I-I don't know, I was just out here getting some fresh air when I saw something fall out of the sky and land over there." Natsu quickly explained, pointing towards the smoke in the distance.

The pink haired girl's eyes went wide in recognition. "That…that's in the park just outside the city!" She shouted in surprise.

As Compa continued to stare at the smoke, Natsu considered what to do. While he could easily let someone else deal with this, his gut was telling him that something wasn't right with this picture. Now while he might not be the smartest or most forward-thinking person around, his gut never once led him astray, and often than naught it had saved his ass more times than he could count. He wasn't about to doubt it now.

Coming to a decision, Natsu looked over the railing and down below. Judging by the height, it was at least three stories high, a height that would cause any normal person serious injury or worse. An injured person even more so.

Luckily for the dragon slayer, he wasn't normal.

"I'm gonna go check it out."

Compa snapped her gaze at her fellow pinkette. "What are yo-OH MY GODDESS!" Her question quickly morphed into a scream as Natsu jumped right over the railing and fell towards the ground below. "NATSU!"

The dragon slayer ignored the girl's yell as he focused on the ground rapidly approach him. Bracing himself, he landed in a perfect crouch, though he immediately grit his teeth as the muscles in his legs strained painfully from the sudden landing. Pushing through the pain, Natsu stood up just as he heard a loud gasp from above, but he ignored it as well and instead began sprinting down the street. Along the way, he flicked his eyes up towards the sky every so often, making sure he was heading in the direction of the smoke. Luckily for him, the streets were barren of people at the moment, so he didn't have to worry about running into someone, but it wouldn't stay that way for long. A noise that loud was bound to wake up many of the city's inhabitants.

After several minutes of running through multiple streets and intersections, Natsu suddenly came across an unexpected obstacle: a large moat. Seeing a thick forest on the other side, the slayer deduced that the body of water was acting as a barrier, separating the city from the outside. Scanning the area, he looked for a way to get across, but saw nothing that could help him.

 _Tch, what a pain in the ass._ Natsu thought with annoyance. The moat was far too large for him to make in a single jump, and he really didn't feel like getting wet. That left him with only one option. _Well,_ _time to see if my magic still works in this world._

Taking a deep breath, the mage focused his magic into the soles of his feet. For a brief moment nothing happened, causing Natsu to frown with concern. His frown soon turned into a relieved smile, as flames suddenly came bursting to life beneath him, launching him into the air. _Phew, I was worried there for a sec!_ Natsu thought with a grin as he levitated for a moment before refocusing on the task at hand. Within moments he flew over the body of water, and upon landing on the other side he quickly cancelled out his flames and resumed his sprint. While it was nice that he could still use his Dragon Slayer Magic, he wanted to conserve his energy in case he ran into some trouble. He still wasn't at a hundred percent, and the last thing he needed was running out of power at a crucial moment.

Making his was deeper into the forest, Natsu began to notice that some of the trees had metallic rings floating around their trunks. The rings were silver in color and glowed with varying colored lights, and some even moved around the trunks in circles. _Weird_. He noted as he made his way further in. Soon, he began to come across multiple light posts, benches and archways, indicating he was now within the park Compa had mentioned before. After crossing over a small metallic bridge, the slayer's eyes went wide as the smell of burnt wood wafted into his nostrils. _That's gotta be it!_ He thought as he quickened his pace and followed the smell. It eventually led him into an open area, and what he saw caused him to come to a screeching halt.

There, surrounded by blackened trees and scorched earth, was a massive crater. The ground sizzled as smoke continued to rise into the air. As the smoke began to slowly clear, he was finally able to get a good look inside.

 _Huh?_ Natsu blinked as both of his eyebrows rose in complete surprise. When he had seen how big the crater was, he expected to find a large rock or object laying in the center of it.

He sure as hell wasn't expecting to find a person stuck head first in the ground.

The slayer blinked a few times, as if not believing what he was seeing. The person's body was straight as a rod, with their legs were sticking straight up into the air and their arms flat against their sides, appearing like a sword that had been stabbed into the ground. From first glance, he could immediately tell it was a girl, and it wasn't just because they were wearing blue and white striped knee high socks with frilly trimming. Whoever she was, she apparently didn't believe in wearing any pants or even a skirt, as her panties were exposed for all to see. Though that probably had to do with the fact that she was currently upside down, and the only other article of clothing that she wore was a ridiculously large, white and purple hooded sweater.

 _Was she the thing that fell from the sky?_ Natsu wondered, completely indifferent to the girl's indecent exposure. While he was no expert, he was pretty sure people falling from the sky was not a natural occurrence. He contemplated this for a moment longer, before shrugging it off. _I should probably pull her out._ The mage thought as approached the edge of the crater and slid down towards the center. Once he stopped before the girl, he paused for a moment to think about his next course of action, before coming to a decision and nodding his head.

Reaching out with both hands, he took a hold of the girl's ankles and proceeded to pull up. There was some resistance at first, but with a few more pulls, her head came free with an audible pop, finally revealing her face. She was apparently very young, early teens by the look of things, possessing light skin and short, lilac colored hair. She wore a pair white cross shaped hair clips on the sides of her head, along with an odd looking white choker around her neck.

Natsu quirked an eyebrow at the strange girl before sweat dropping when she began to snore loudly, even though she had literally crashed headfirst into the ground not long ago. It was a miracle she was even still alive after a fall like that.

Frowning, the pinkette decided he would worry about the details later _._ Even though the girl seemed fine, he figured a fall like that would still hurt like hell. For now, it would be best to bring the girl to Compa to have her checked out for injuries.

With surprising gentleness, the slayer placed one arm across the girl's back and hooked the other under her knees, until he was holding her bridal style in his arms. With that accomplished, Natsu carefully began to trek his way out of the crater, mindful of where he stepped.

But upon reaching the top and setting foot on even ground, he suddenly felt the girl begin to stir in his arms, causing him to pause and look down at her.

"...Warm..." The petite girl suddenly mumbled out softly, and then, much to the slayer's surprise, she snuggled further against his body before letting out a content sigh. After that she went still again, her rising chest indicating that she was still breathing.

Natsu couldn't help but frown in slight disappointment, having hoped the girl would awaken. _Ah, whatever_. _I've got more important stuff to worry about now._ He thought with a mental shrug, before once again making his way back towards the city. The walk was relatively silent, with only the sound of the girl's breathing and the chirping of insects keeping the boy company.

After a few minutes however, he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

"Natsu!" Compa's yell echoed throughout the park, and he could see a bright beam of light shining up ahead past a group of trees.

 _Perfect timing, Compa!_ Natsu thought with grin as he quickly sprinted towards the bright light. Once he was close enough, he suddenly jumped out from one of the trees without warning. "Hey Com-!"

"KYAAAA!" The pink haired girl suddenly yelled in fright at the sudden voice before falling onto her rear. In the process of that, she dropped the flashlight, and it rolled along the ground until its beam shone directly on the pink haired male. "N-Natsu?!" She shouted with wide eyes as she stared up at him, her heart pounding in her chest from the sudden scare.

Despite the situation, Natsu couldn't help but chuckle in amusement at the girl's expression. "Heh, sorry about that. Didn't mean to scare ya." He said with a slight grin.

Compa's eyes quickly became watery at his amused expression. "Mou, you're so mean, Natsu~! I was really worried about you, you know?!" She said with a cute look, before blinking when she realized the boy was holding someone in his arms. "Huh? Who's that?" The girl questioned curiously.

At those words, Natsu's demeanor became serious. "I found her inside of a crater just a ways behind me. I think she's the thing I saw fall out of the sky earlier." He explained, causing the pink haired girl's eyes to widen in shock. "She was stuck in the ground, so I pulled her out and thought it was a good idea to bring her to you."

Hearing that, Compa quickly composed herself. "If that's the case, then let's bring her back to my apartment." The pink haired girl said firmly as she turned around with haste, with Natsu following closely behind.

 **·····Now Loading·····**

Once they were back inside the apartment, Natsu placed the lilac haired girl on the couch while Compa grabbed a medical kit. Now that they could see more clearly thanks to the lights, they noticed that the mystery girl had bruises and cuts on the exposed parts of her body.

"She looks pretty beat up." Natsu commented with a frown as he stood next to the pink haired girl.

Compa couldn't help but frown as well. It looked like someone or something had attacked the poor girl. _How awful._ She thought with a hint of anger. "I don't know what happened to this poor girl, but I'll do my best to fix her up!" The pink haired girl suddenly shouted with a fire in her eyes, much to Natsu's surprise. "But first I'll have to take her clothes off to check for any other injuries she might have." She then began to unzip the girl's ridiculously large sweater, before abruptly stopping." Err, Natsu?"

Natsu turned to the pink haired girl. "Yea?" He responded.

"Can you go wait in the other room while I check her?" Compa said nervously. Having Natsu in the room with her while she stripped the mysterious girl would make for an inappropriate situation should she suddenly wake up.

Not really understanding why Compa wanted him out of the room, the slayer merely quirked an eyebrow at her before deciding to simply follow with the request. "If you say so." He said as he made his way towards Compa's room and shut the door behind him.

With Natsu gone, the pink haired girl sighed in relief before turning back towards the unconscious girl. "Alright, let's get this over with." She said with a determined look as she proceeded to unzip the sweater.

In the other room, Natsu sat cross-legged on the floor, a bored look on his face as he waited for Compa to finish her checkup. He tried to busy himself by looking around the room for anything of interest, but nothing really grabbed his attention.

"Man, this is boring." The mage grumbled as he rested chin on his right hand while placing the elbow on his thigh. As the minutes ticked by, he felt his eyes lids begin to grow heavy as a yawn escaped his throat. It seemed that the day's events were finally catching up to him. He tried to stay awake, but slowly his eyes closed shut and he started to doze off. Thankfully, before he could fully succumb to slumber, the door slammed opened, startling him awake again.

"All done!" Compa said with a smile as she walked into the room and wiped some sweat from her forehead.

Natsu immediately perked up at that. "How'd it go?" He asked curiously.

The girl let out a small hum at the mage's question. "She has a lot of bruises and small cuts on her body, but nothing some rubbing alcohol and bandages couldn't fix." She explained. "I left her on the couch in the living room for now, but I'll have to move her to my bed so she can rest comfortably."

The mage nodded, not seeing any fault in that logic. Compa's bed was pretty soft and comfortable, so it made sense to put the girl there.

"But now that's all taken care of, you've got some explaining to do, mister!" The girl's expression suddenly did a full one eighty as she pointed a finger at the boy while placing her other hand on her hip.

Natsu was completely taken aback by Compa's sudden shift in tone. Before he could even open his mouth to ask what she was talking about, the girl continued.

"Do you know how scared I was when I saw you jump over the railing like that?! I thought you had seriously hurt yourself back there!" Compa yelled, her face showing blatant disapproval. "And how did you even survive that landing without getting hurt? When normal people do things like that, their bones are supposed to break!"

The dragon slayer sweat dropped at that last sentence. "Look, I'm sorry if I freaked you out earlier, but I just sort of acted on instinct back then." He apologized with a sigh as he crossed his arms over his chest. "As for me not breaking any bones from that fall…well, I'm not exactly a normal person." That was putting it mildly. He was a human who was raised by a dragon and taught magic that could slay other dragons, and had fought against fierce magical beasts and homocidal dark mages alike.

Yep, definitely not normal.

Compa continued to stare sternly at the boy, unsure of how to respond. She had seen it with her own eyes after all, how he effortless landed without any trouble before running off in a full sprint. No normal human would've been able to pull that off without breaking a few bones in the process, or at the very least fracturing something. And to top it all off Natsu was injured, yet here he was looking a little better than he did a few hours ago. While his injuries weren't serious, it should have left the male bedridden for at least a few days, but within the span of a few hours, Natsu had somehow recovered enough strength move around freely without much trouble. It was something that truly boggled the pink haired girl's mind.

 _Well, Natsu did say he came from another world...maybe he has superpowers?_ Compa wondered, her expression suddenly becoming thoughtful as she imagined the pink haired boy wearing spandex tights and a flowing cape, going around fighting crime and helping those in need.

Truly, the girl had an interesting imagination.

Realizing she was being distracted, Compa quickly shook her head to dispel those stray thoughts as her expression fell into a small frown. "…Fine, I'll accept that for now." She conceded, much to the slayer's relief. "Just...be more careful next time, okay? I'd be really sad if something bad happened to you…" She trailed off with a saddened look.

Hearing those words, Natsu blinked in surprise before his mouth curved into small smile. It seemed that despite having known each other for less than a day, the girl had truly come to care for his wellbeing. "Alright, alright. I'll be more careful from now on." The mage replied, giving the girl a toothy grin.

That seemed to do the trick, as Compa's frown quickly turned into a smile.

With that out of the way, the dragon slayer stretched his arms above his head as he let out a yawn. "Man, I'm beat." He said, wanting nothing more than to crash onto the couch and pass out.

Compa let giggle at the slayer's words. "Let me go move the girl over to my bed so you can sleep on the couch." She proposed, before turning around to exit the room.

Not wanting to be left behind, Natsu quickly stood up and followed the girl. As soon as he entered the living room, his gaze immediately fell on the couch where the lilac haired girl was laying comfortably. She didn't look much different from before, though he could make out some bandages on her neck, hands and thighs. The dragon slayer watched silently as Compa gently lifted the petite girl off of the couch, before carrying her into the bedroom. After a few minutes, the pink haired girl returned with a pink pillow and blanket in her hands.

"Here you go." Compa said as she placed them on the sofa, her expression quickly becoming apologetic. "Sorry about this. I've been living by myself for a while now, so I never bothered to buy an extra bed." She explained sheepishly.

Natsu merely shook his head and chuckled. "It's fine with me. I'm pretty much freeloading off of you at this point, so I can't really complain." He assured while rubbing the back of his head. Hell, he was completely fine with sleeping on the floor if he had to.

Compa immediately shook her head at the boy's words. "I don't mind, Natsu. Besides, you don't have anywhere else to go, right?" She pointed out with smile. "So stay as long as you'd like."

At the girl's words, Natsu found himself frowning slightly. He owed her a great debt for bringing him into her home and taking care of him. She could have easily ignored him when she had found him unconscious the night before, or even ousted him once he had regained consciousness, but instead she chose to continue helping him.

He'd be damned if he didn't repay that kindness.

"Well, it's getting pretty late, so I better get ready for bed." Compa said while letting out a cute yawn, before giving her fellow pinkette a bright smile. "Good night, Natsu~!"

The aforementioned boy grinned back in response. "Night, Compa." He replied.

With that exchange, the pink haired girl excused herself and left for her room, leaving Natsu alone with his thoughts.

 _Man, talk about a crazy day._ The slayer thought with a sigh as he fell over on his side onto the couch. A lot had happened that he still didn't quite understand, but right now he was just too exhausted to even care anymore. Feeling his drowsiness grow with each passing second, the slayer made himself comfortable as he grabbed the blanket and threw it over his body.

With one last yawn, Natsu closed his eyes and welcomed slumber's sweet embrace.

 **·····Save Complete·····**

So some of you guys are curious/concerned about the power scaling between Natsu and the Neptuniaverse. Since I'm using post-GMG Natsu with Second Origin unlocked, he'll obviously be pretty overpowered when stacked against the early enemies in the game, up until he meets the CPUs and higher tier baddies. He's pretty damn strong in his base form as it is, so he'll only resort to using LFDM and DF when fighting against really powerful opponents. __

 _ **[Updated 8/28/18]**_


	3. Chapter 3: The Mysterious Girl

**DISCLAIMER**

 **Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima, while the Neptunia series is owned by Idea Factory and Compile Heart.**

 **·····Save File Loaded·····**

 _Natsu gasped as he found himself standing alone amongst the hellish ruins of Crocus, surrounded by fire and death as wrathful roars filled the night. Everywhere he looked, he saw lifeless bodies scattered about, some burned, some crushed, and some even torn into pieces. But even more horrifying were the familiar faces that laid amongst the fallen. Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus and so on. All of them laid dead, their eyes staring lifelessly at him, as if questioning why he did nothing to prevent their deaths._

 _Seeing such a sight, the slayer felt his strength leave his body as he fell to his knees. "N-No…" He stuttered out as tears began to stream down his face. Once again, he was unable to stop the dragons from taking their lives. No matter how hard he tried, he simply could not overcome the might of the dragons._

 _He was a failure, both as a dragon slayer and as a friend._

 _Gritting his teeth, the mage threw his head back and released a roar of agony that echoed throughout the city. He went on for what felt like an eternity, until his vocal cords strained and his throat burned. When he could no longer continue, he simply remained motionless, staring up at the sky while his tears continued to fall._

"… _N-Na…"_

 _Natsu's eyes widened slightly as he heard a faint voice. It was distant, but it sounded strangely familiar, almost like-_

"… _Please…help me…Natsu!"_

" _Lucy?!" The slayer's eyes widened, instantly recognizing the voice of his best friend. Jumping to his feet, he immediately took off in the direction of the voice, ignoring everything around him as he saw a faint glimmer of hope. If he could make it time, then maybe, just maybe…!_

" _Hurry, they're coming for me!"_

 _Hearing the desperation in Lucy's voice, Natsu roared as he poured all of his magic into his feet, before he suddenly shot off like a bullet. The entire world became a blur as he pushed his magic and his body to the limit, going faster and faster, until…_

" _LUCY!" The pinkette yelled as he came to a stop at an open clearing, spotting the blonde haired girl sitting helplessly on the ground. She wasn't alone however, as dozens of dragons hovered around her. The creatures growled menacingly as they inched closer to his precious guild mate, ready to end her life._

 _He would not allow that to happen._

" _GET AWAY FROM HER YOU BASTARDS!" Natsu shouted at the top of his lungs as his entire form erupted into flames._

 _The dragons immediately turned to him, their primeval eyes glowing with rage and malevolence. Ignoring the helpless blonde for now, they instead charged at the pink haired human with the intent to kill._

 _As the first of the dragons approached him, the mage's feet erupted into flames as he propelled himself up high. "FIRE DRAGON'S CLAW!" Natsu summersaulted through the air and slammed his flame infused foot onto the snout of one of the creatures, causing it to howl in pain as he used the momentum to launch himself towards the another one. "ROAR!" A torrent of flames expelled from his mouth, crashing into its chest and knocking it out of the sky. "WING ATTACK!" Two flaming whips slammed into the next two, sending them both spiraling towards the ground as well. The slayer pressed his charge, unleashing spell upon spell upon the mythical beasts, pushing his way through their numbers as he came closer to Lucy. Fire and explosions filled the night, and one by one the dragons were sent crashing towards the ground by the hands of Igneel's son, until only one remained._

" _ **GROOOOOAH!**_ _" The last dragon let loose a vicious roar, its jaws opening wide as fire began to well within its maw before it suddenly unleashed a wave of flames at the human._

 _Instead of looking worried, the dragon slayer merely smirked as the flames rushed him and consumed his form._

 _Believing that the human had finally been dealt with, the reptilian creature turned its gaze back to the blonde haired girl, who was still on the ground crying. But just as it began to descend towards her, a strange noise began to fill the air. Confused, the dragon turned around, only for its bestial eyes to widen in shock as the flames it had unleashed were being sucked into some kind of vortex. As the fire began to fade, it finally saw the source of the noise and realized what was happening._

 _The pink haired human was eating its flames._

 _"Heh, thanks for the meal, ya scaly bastard." The mage said with a grin as he consumed the last of the flames, feeling his magic power increase exponentially. "Now I'm fired up!" His form came alive with fire, burning even hotter and brighter than before._

 _Releasing an enraged roared, the dragon opened its mouth and quickly charged at the pinkette, preparing to bite him in two._

" _OOOOOOOH!" Natsu roared back, gathering every bit of magic into his hands as his flames turned golden and scales began to form on his arms and face. "DRAGON SLAYER SECRET ART! CRIMSON LOTUS: EXPLODING FLAME BLADE!" He swiped his hands in a counterclockwise fashion, producing a torrent of fire that completely consumed the dragon in its entirety, causing a massive explosion that rocked the area._

 _When the smoke finally cleared, the creature was nowhere to be seen._

 _With the final dragon defeated, Natsu landed on the ground, only a few meters away from his best friend. Not wasting anymore time, he hastily began sprinting towards her. "Lucy!" He cried out her name._

" _Natsu!" The girl yelled back, a wide smile on her face as she looked at the slayer with immense joy and relief._

 _But then, just when he was only a few yards away, Natsu noticed a shadow suddenly loom over overhead. Looking up, his eyes widened in horror as the dragon he thought he had defeated stood behind the girl, its massive claw hovering above her form. Time seemed to slow down as he stretched his hand out towards the blonde, all while yelling out her name._

" _LUCY!"_

 _And then the dragon's claw came crashing down_.

"NO!"

Natsu shot up from the couch, face sweaty and eyes wide as tears streamed down his cheeks. He looked around the room frantically, only to be greeted by darkness. The slayer was confused for a moment, before he finally remembered where he was and what had happened. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart.

 _Calm down._ The dragon slayer thought to himself as he shakily brought a hand to his face. _I-It was just a dream._ Yet it had felt so real. The death, the destruction…it was as if he had been sent back to Crocus and forced to relive that horrible event all over again.

Squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, Natsu let out a shuddering breath before removing his hand to look around the room. The lights were off, though there were a few rays of sunlight beginning to shine through the windows. _Guess its morning already_. He mused as he slowly sat up on the couch.

Before he could think of what to do now that he had woken up, he heard a door slowly creak open. Turning towards the sound, he found the door to Compa's room fully opened and the girl herself standing in the doorway, wearing a simple pink nightgown with frilly trimming and a pair of fuzzy pink slippers.

"Natsu…?" The pink haired girl said sleepily as she rubbed her eye. "Is everything okay? I thought I heard a loud noise coming from here."

Rubbing the back of his head, Natsu gave the girl a sheepish look. "Ah, sorry about that. I, uh…fell off of the couch when I was getting up." He lied, which he soon came to regret.

Instantly, Compa's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh, that's terrible!" The girl shouted, and before the slayer knew it, she was at his side. "Are you okay? Did you hit your head? Does anything hurt?"

Natsu was suddenly beginning to feel overwhelmed by the non-stop barrage of questions being thrown at him. "I-I'm fine-WHOA!" Natsu suddenly shouted in surprise as Compa got into his personal space and forcibly opened his vest. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm checking for any injuries!" The pink haired girl replied as a look of concentration formed on her face. "It never hurts to be safe!"

Natsu sweat dropped at that. She watched him jump from the third floor down to the sidewalk without incident the night before, and now she was worried about him falling a few feet onto the ground? _Man, I'll never understand this girl._ He thought with an inward sigh as the girl continued her inspection.

"Well, it looks like everything's okay…" Compa trailed off once she finished her 'check-up' and pulled away from the boy, causing him to sigh in relief.

 _I've gotta be more careful next time._ Natsu thought with a nervous smile. "Sorry for waking you."

Bringing her hand to her mouth to stifle a yawn, Compa shook her head and smiled. "It's okay. I was going to get up soon to get breakfast started anyways."

As soon as the slayer heard those words, he felt his stomach growl loudly, causing him to chuckle in embarrassment.

The pink haired girl let out a giggle at that. "I'll go get things started then. You can come help set up the table, if you'd like." She said as she began making her way towards the kitchen.

Not having a problem with that, the mage quickly stood up and followed the girl, eager to find something to distract him from the terrible nightmare he had experienced.

 **·····Now Loading·····**

"All done!" Compa said cheerfully as she placed the last dish onto the table.

As Natsu's eyes scanned over the food, he couldn't help but water at the mouth. There was an abundance of pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon and so on all piled onto one small table, making it look more like a buffet than a typical breakfast for two. And all of it smelled delicious _._

 _Whoa…did Compa really make all of this?_ The slayer couldn't help but wonder.

Seeing the boy's awed and hungry expression, the pink haired girl let out a giggle. "Well don't just stand there, silly. Dig in!" She encouraged.

Not needing to be told twice, Natsu grabbed a plate and started piling food on it. Once he was satisfied with what he had, he grabbed a fork, stabbed it in into a little bit of everything and took his first bite. Almost immediately, his eyes lit up with stars as tears began streaming down his cheeks.

"Ith shwo good!" The slayer complimented with his mouth full. The flavor, the texture; everything was perfect! It was so good infact that he almost decided to forego his manners, limited as they were, in favor of using his hand to shovel as much food into his mouth as he possibly could.

Compa quickly frowned at the boy's lack of table manners. "You shouldn't talk with your mouth full, Natsu." She lightly scolded. He might be stronger than a normal human, but he could still end up choking if he wasn't careful.

Swallowing the food in his mouth, Natsu gave an apologetic grin before he resumed stuffing his face.

As Compa watched the boy devour the food she made with gusto, she couldn't help but look on in amazement. How someone could eat so much without inflating like a ballon was utterly baffling to her. She was just glad that she had decided to make extra portions this time around.

Seeing as the food was quickly beginning to disappear, the pink haired girl was brought out from her stupor and she quickly grabbed her own plate. Grabbing a few pancakes and pieces of bacon for herself, she began eating, though at a much more subdued pace compared to her guest.

It wasn't long before the food was completely gone, leaving only a bunch of dirty plates on the table. Satisfied with his meal, Natsu leaned back in his chair and let out a content sigh.

"Oh man, I haven't had a meal that good in a long time." The slayer commented, before he looked towards the pink haired girl with a toothy grin. "Thanks, Compa."

The aforementioned girl beamed at his words. "You're welcome!" She replied happily as she went about collecting the dirty dishes.

Seeing the girl's action, Natsu stood up from his seat. "Let me help with that." He said as he grabbed the plates on his side, causing the girl to smile at him.

"Thank you." Compa said gratefully. "Just put those over by the sink and I'll take care of the rest."

The slayer simply nodded his head and followed the girl's instructions. Setting down the stack of dishes on the counter, Natsu watched as the pink haired girl placed her own stack next to his and began filling up the sink with water. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, before speaking up. "Uh, is there anything I can help with?" He asked.

Compa turned to the boy and shook her head. "I'm fine for now, Natsu. Besides, you should really focus on recovering your strength." She reminded him.

Natsu frowned slightly at that, but wisely chose not to object. He had already seen how stubborn the pink haired girl could be when it came to his health. "…Alright. But if you need help with anything, just let me know."

The girl was slightly surprised by her fellow pinkette's words, but soon her expression brightened. "Oh, of course! I'll definitely keep that in mind!" She replied with a happy smile.

With that out of the way, Natsu excused himself and made his way back to the living room, leaving Compa to clean in peace. Once there, he plopped down onto the couch with a sigh and leaned his head back until he was facing the ceiling. Now that he had nothing left to distract himself with, he began thinking of what to do next. He sure as hell wasn't going back to sleep, not after experiencing…that. Unfortunately, he was left with little else to do, seeing as Compa wanted him to take it easy until he made a full recovery.

With his options limited, Natsu decided to look around the room in hopes of finding something to occupy himself with. He saw some stuffed animals and a few books lying about, and even found a strange looking uniform being hung on the wall, but none of it piqued his interest. _Gah, this is sooo booooring!_ He thought in annoyance. Letting out a sigh, the slayer's gaze continued to shift randomly around the room, until his eyes eventually fell on the door to Compa's room.

The room where the mysterious, lilac haired girl was currently resting in.

Instantly, Natsu's expression went from bored desperation to curiosity. It was only natural that he was curious about the petite girl, considering the state he had found her in last night. It wasn't every day that one came across someone who had fallen from the sky and survived crashing headfirst into the ground, after all. Most people would have ended up as stains on the ground, yet not only did this girl come out of it in one piece, but she only received some minor injuries to boot. Either she was made of some really tough stuff, or she got extremely lucky during the fall.

As the mage continued to ponder about unconscious girl, he suddenly heard an obnoxious ringing noise come from within the room. He raised an eyebrow at this, before his ears picked up on frantic footsteps.

"Oh no, I forgot to turn my alarm off!" Compa yelled frantically as she entered the living room, causing Natsu to turn to her with a curious look.

"What's going o-"

 _ **CRASH!**_

Both pinkettes froze at the sound coming from the bedroom, their eyes widening as they briefly glanced at one another before quickly rushing to the door. Grabbing the handle, the pink haired girl turned it and promptly swung the door open with a bang.

"What's going on here?!"

Upon Compa's exclamation, silence filled the room as the pink haired duo stood at the door way, before they both blinked at what they saw.

Sitting up on the bed was, surprisingly, the lilac haired girl, who was now wide awake. Her eyes were wide with shock, revealing that they were the same color as her hair, and her mouth was agape as she stared back at the two pinkettes.

The two parties continued to stare at one another, before Natsu and Compa noticed something on the wall to their right. Shifting their gazes, they found an alarm clock had been embedded into it, something that required quite a bit of force.

"…O-Oops?" The lilac haired girl said after a moment with a nervous smile, causing the pink haired duo to turn back to her. "I, uh, think I got a little carried away there. Hehehe…" She trailed off with a weak chuckle.

The two pinkettes blinked at that, before Compa decided to speak up. "Oh, um, it's okay." She said as she approached the bed. "How are you feeling?"

The lilac haired girl frowned slightly as her face scrunched up in contemplation. "Hm…weeeell, my body's kinda aching all over, like I got beat up real good or something. My head's hurting a little, too." She listed off, before her gaze shifted around the room. "Where the heck am I anyways?"

Compa was quick to answer the girl's question. "You're in my apartment! Specifically, my room." She replied. "You see, last night you kinda, well…" The pink haired girl trailed off, unsure of how to break it to the smaller girl that she had somehow survived something that would have killed any other living being.

Sensing Compa's hesitation, Natsu decided to biefly jump into the conversation. "You fell out of the sky." He said bluntly, grabbing the petite girl's attention.

"Y-Yes, that's right!" The pink haired girl took over again. "After my friend here found you, he brought you to me and I took care of your injuries. Luckily for you, it wasn't anything too serious."

The lilac haired girl smiled nonchalantly at that as she closed her eyes. "Oh, so that's what happened. I fell out of…the…" She trailed off, before her brain fully processed what she had been told. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH?!"

Compa and Natsu both winced at the girl's sudden yell, the slayer having to throw his hands over his sensitive ears to protect them.

"T-T-The s-s-sky?!" The petite girl questioned incredulously, her eyes wide with comical disbelief. "B-B-But why did I f-fall out of the s-sky?!"

"P-Please calm down!" Compa said with a frantic expression, but it did little to help the situation as the smaller girl continued to freak out.

"How do you expect me to calm down after hearing something like that?!"

Growling in annoyance at the loli's yelling, the slayer decided he had heard enough. With a brief stride, he made his way over to the bed and proceeded to flick the girl on the forehead, causing her to yelp in pain.

"Ow!"

"Natsu!" The pink haired girl turned to the aforementioned boy in disbelief. "What was that for?!"

Natsu merely grunted and crossed his arms over his chest. "Her yelling was getting on my nerves." He replied, ignoring Compa's comically shocked expression as he stared down at the smaller girl. "So, you calmed down yet?"

The loli rubbed her forehead as she sent a teary eyed glare at her attacker. She then opened her mouth to retort, only to pause when she noticed the male's finger twitch menacingly, causing her to sweat profusely before she hastily nodded her head.

"Good." Natsu said with a sigh, finally glad to have the conversation back on track. "Anyways, we're not really sure why you fell out of the sky. We were hoping you could tell us." He explained.

Blinking at those words, the petite girl's expression became thoughtful. After a moment, her face scrunched slightly as she seemed to concentrate on something, before her expression quickly fell and she sighed. "I…don't know. I don't remember what happened before I woke up." She then paused briefly as he expression became confused. "In fact, aside from my name, I don't remember anything at all…"

Hearing that, Compa and Natsu both glanced at one another worriedly. It sounded eerily similar to the slayer's own predicament, minus the falling and lack of memories.

"It sounds like you have amnesia." The pink haired girl pointed out.

Rather than look concerned as a normal person would, the smaller girl merely smiled at those words. "Oh? I guess I do." She said casually.

Compa was a little surprised by the girl's reaction, but before she could respond, the girl spoke up again.

"Oh! But I do remember something!" She exclaimed excitedly, causing both pinkettes to listen in carefully. "I remember feeling this really warm sensation surrounding my body, like someone was holding me close in their arms. Ah, it felt so nice…" The girl trailed off with a dreamy expression, placing both hands on her cheeks.

Natsu and Compa both sweat dropped at that, before the girl pulled herself from her daze.

"By the way, who are you two supposed to be?" The loli asked as she her gaze shifted between the two pinkettes.

The pink haired girl gave a warm smile. "I'm Compa." She introduced herself.

Seeing that it was his turn, the mage gave the petite girl a grin. "Natsu Dragneel." He said casually.

"He's an alien!" Compa added cheerfully, causing the boy's eye to twitch.

A look of surprise flashed across the loli's face. "Whoa, that's…pretty cool, I guess." She replied as she stared at the male pinkette in curiosity. "Although you don't look much different from me or Compa."

Natsu sighed in annoyance. "That's because I'm human."

The lilac haired girl responded with a nervous laugh. "Err, righto then." She said before giving a wide smile. "Well, I guess I'm up next. I'm Neptune! Nice to meet ya both!"

"It's nice to meet you too, Nep- Nept- Nepti- Nepu-" Compa, for some reason, struggled with pronouncing the name.

Neptune merely smiled at the girl. "If its too hard to pronounce, you can just give me a nickname if you want. I don't mind!" She said in a chiper tone.

"Oh, okay then. I'll call you, um...oh! Nep-Nep!" The pink haired girl exclaimed with a wide smile. "Its nice to meet you Nep-Nep!"

The loli smiled cheerfully at her new nickname. "Heh, Nep-Nep...I like it!" She giggled, before she turned her attention to the male pinkette.

Noticing the girl's staring, Natsu raised an eyebrow but otherwise remained silent. _Do I have something on my face?_ He wondered, watching as Neptune's face became thoughtful for a moment before she suddenly nodded her head and gave a wide smile.

"Pinky!"

Natsu's eyes went wide at the name, but it only lasted for a second before they narrowed in anger as a vein began to throb on his forehead. "What the hell did you call me?" He questioned angrily.

Neptune tilted her head at the male's question. "I called you Pinky cause, you know...your hair's pink and all." She replied in an obvious tone, which served only to further infuriate the male.

"Don't call me that!" The slayer yelled while slamming both hands on the bed. "Just call me Natsu!"

"But that's soooo boring. Besides, it fits you perfectly!"

"Why you little…!"

Compa looked between the male and loli with a nervous smile on her face. "Now, now, you two..." She said, trying to diffuse the situation. Her words seemingly fell on deaf ears, as Natsu continued glaring at Neptune, who in turn kept teasing him about his hair. The pink haired girl was beginning to feel concerned, before an idea suddenly came to her. _Oh, that might just work!_ "Hey, Nep-Nep!"

The aforementioned loli broke her gaze from the fuming male and turned her attention to Compa. "Hm? What's up?" She questioned curiously.

The pink haired girl smiled widely. "Would you like something to eat?"

As soon as the words left Compa's mouth, a small growl was heard coming from the lilac haired girl.

"Heh, I guess some food would be pretty nice right about now." Neptune responded with a laugh, causing Compa to giggle.

"Then let me go fix you up something really quick." The pink haired girl said happily.

 **·····Now Loading·····**

"Haha, it wiggles around really funny when you poke it!" Neptune said with childish wonder as she poked the pudding in her bowl with a spoon. Currently, she was sitting at the dining room table in the kitchen, with Compa sitting to her right, while Natsu leaned against the nearby wall with his arms crossed over his chest and an annoyed frown on his face.

The pink haired girl stared at the loli curiously. "You've never had pudding before, Nep-Nep?" She questioned.

Neptune shook her head. "Nope. It's the first time I've seen this stuff." She replied as she continued to play with her food. Eventually, she grew tired of poking the yellow substance and took a spoonful before placing it in her mouth. "Whoa, this is delicious! Amazing even!" The loli exclaimed with stars in her eyes. "The person who made this must have god-like cooking skills!"

The comment caused Compa to blush with a bashful smile. "Actually, I'm the one who made it." She revealed, causing the smaller girl to turn to her in amazement.

"Whoa, seriously? That's so cool!"

As Neptune continued to shower the pink haired girl with praise, the dragon slayer let out a snort from his position on the wall. While he was still irked at the loli for the insulting nickname she tacked on him, he did agree with her assessment. Compa had some serious cooking skills. In fact, he would go as far as to say that the girl's cooking was on par with-

 _A beautiful young woman in a red dress, with light skin and flowing white hair, turned to greet him with a smile as he entered the guild._

… _Mira._ Natsu inwardly said the name, before his mood drastically fell and he frowned deeply. Though they never got along well when they were kids, the eldest of the Strauss siblings eventually became like a sister to him throughout the years that followed, always looking out for him and giving him advice whenever he was having trouble with something.

And now he would never be able to see Mira's warm smile ever again.

The very thought caused a pained expression to form on his face, something that didn't go unnoticed by the pink haired girl.

"Natsu?"

Hearing the voice, the dragon slayer was quickly pulled from his thoughts as he found a concerned Compa staring right at him. "Hm, did you say something?" Natsu questioned curiously.

"W-Well, it's just that it looked like something was bothering you." She said with a frown. "Is everything okay?"

 _Oh._ Natsu thought, internally berating himself for the slip up. "I'm fine. I was just…thinking about some stuff." He replied softly.

Upon hearing the answer, a look of understanding dawned on the pink haired girl's face. "Oh, I see. Well, if you ever want to talk to someone about it, you can always come to me, okay?" She offered, giving a closed eyed smile.

Natsu was taken aback by those words, before a small smile formed on his face. _Maybe someday_ … He thought sadly, before his smile morphed into a grin. "Sure thing, Compa." The slayer replied.

"Ah~!" A loud sigh of satisfaction drew both pinkettes' attention back to the lilac haired loli. "That was the best thing I've ever had! Thanks, Compa!" She exclaimed loudly as she pushed the now empty bowl away.

"No problem, Nep-Nep!" Compa replied with a smile as she picked up the dirty dish and went over to drop it off at the sink. Once she returned to the table, her expression quickly became curious. "Say, Nep-Nep." She called out, grabbing Neptune's attention. "What are you going to do now?"

At Compa's question, the lilac haired girl let out a hum as a thoughtful expression formed on her face. "…I dunno, to be honest." She replied. "I mean, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole 'falling out of the sky' thing that apparently happened."

Compa and Natsu both frowned slightly when they heard that, the latter's eyes reflecting some measure of sympathy towards Neptune. Much like her, he was still trying to come to grips with his own situation.

The room became silent as the three contemplated the current turn of events, before the pink haired girl suddenly spoke up.

"Oh, I've got an idea!" She exclaimed loudly with a look of realization on her face, causing both Natsu and Neptune to look at her curiously. "What if we go back to the place Natsu found you?" She proposed, causing the smaller girl to look confused. "If you go there, then maybe you'll find something that will trigger your memory."

Neptune's eyes widened at that. "Oh, that's a great idea!" She shouted in agreement.

Seeing that the smaller girl was onboard, Compa turned towards her fellow pinkette. "What do say, Natsu? Do you think you can show Nep-Nep where you found her?" She questioned with a hopeful expression.

Natsu's face became thoughtful as he mulled over the idea. After a moment, he simply shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not?" He replied with a grin as he pushed himself off of the wall, earning him cheers from the two girls. Aside from helping the amnesiac girl out, it was also a good chance for him to get out the house and see more of the city.

"Then it's settled!" Compa clapped her hands together cheerfully. "Just give me a few minutes to get changed and we'll be ready to go."

The slayer and loli both nodded in agreement as the pink haired girl hurriedly left the kitchen. After a while, she returned with her usual outfit, and with everything ready, the trio set off towards their destination.

 **·····Now Loading·····**

" **Whoa** …" Natsu and Neptune both said in awed tones as they walked through the streets of Planeptune, trailing right behind Compa. Their eyes were wide with wonder as they took in each technological wonder, from floating holographic screens and banners displaying the news and weather, to vending machines that served a variety of goods. There were even people walking on what appeared to be small, floating tiles that transported them far above the streets, like some kind of invisible walkway.

Compa smiled as she turned to her two companions. "Welcome to Planeptune, the Land of Purple Progress!" She said happily.

Natsu let out an impressed whistle at that. He had witnessed these sights from afar the day before, but now that he was up close and personal, he could truly see how much his world and this one differed. _This place is insane!_ He thought, feeling more than a little overwhelmed by all the technology around him. His enthusiasm was curbed a bit when he noticed there were also a lot of vehicles nearby, something that caused him to blanch slightly.

"Oh!" Neptune spotted a shop to her right and quickly ran up to the window. "This place sells so many games!" She exclaimed with excitement as she examined all of the consoles and various discs and cartridges that were on display.

"Nep-Nep, don't fall behind!"

The loli broke her gaze from the window and quickly turned towards the sound of Compa's voice, only to realize that her two companions were now far ahead of her. "A-Ah, wait for me!" She shouted in a panic as she chased after them. As she pushed her way through a crowd of people, she suddenly spotted something leaning against a nearby dumpster. Curious, she stopped for a moment and walked over to check it out.

"Whoa, who left this here?" Neptune asked aloud as she looked at the object, which turned out to be a wooden sword. Reaching out with her hand, she grabbed the handle and brought it up to her face to inspect it. "Hm, it's not damaged or anything. Why would anyone throw this away?" She wondered to herself.

"Oi, Neptune!" This time it was Natsu's voice that called out to her, sounding incredibly annoyed. "If you don't hurry up, we're gonna leave you behind!"

Eyes widening at that exclamation, the loli hurriedly resumed sprinting after the two pinkettes "Hey, you can't leave without the main protagonist!" She shouted, not realizing that she still had the wooden sword in her hands. After a few seconds, she finally managed to catch up to them. "Ha...sorry about that guys, I got a little sidetracked for a second." She apologized sheepishly.

Natsu grunted at the loli's apology, while Compa simply smiled. "It's okay, Nep-Nep. It's your first time in Planeptune, after all." She replied, before she suddenly tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Um, why are you carrying that stick in her hands?"

Neptune became confused at the question, before she remembered that she was, in fact, still carrying the wooden sword. "Oh, this? I found it near a dumpster. It's still in pretty good condition, so I figured 'Why not?'" She explained with a smile.

"Oh." The pink haired girl replied with a look of understanding. "But what are you going to do with it?"

This time, the loli had no immediate answer. "Um, I dunno…practice kendo?" She said with uncertainty, causing Compa to sweat drop.

"Can we get going now?" Natsu suddenly cut in, his arms crossed over his chest as he tapped his foot impatiently.

" **S-Sorry!** " The two girls quickly apologized.

With that resolved, the trio continued onwards their destination. After walking through many winding and crowded streets, they eventually came upon the moat that Natsu had come across the night before. As the slayer had discovered when he and Compa were returning with Neptune's unconscious form previously, there was actually an underground tunnel that went below the body of water. The group quickly entered the passageway, and upon exiting from the other side, they were greeted with the full view of the park.

"Whoa, this is a park?" Neptune asked in surprise as she surveyed the area. "It's like a massive forest!"

Compa let out a giggle at the smaller girl's comment. "That's because it is a forest. The Virtua Forest, to be exact." She quickly explained. "Our nation tries very hard to preserve the forests that surround the city. We use all sorts of cool gadgets to make sure that the trees and plants stay healthy."

 _Well, that explains those weird rings I saw around those trees last night_. Natsu thought with curious look.

"Huh, that's pretty cool." Neptune said with a smile. "So this is the place I landed in, eh?"

Hearing that, Compa shook her head. "Not really. It's actually deeper inside, although the only one who knows where it is exactly is Natsu, since he was the one who found you." She said, causing the loli to turn to the male pinkette with an excited smile.

"Well then, lead the way, Pinky!"

Natsu felt his brow twitch at that, though he chose not to respond. Raising his head up, he sniffed the air for a moment before he picked up on the familiar smell of burnt wood. "Don't fall behind." Was all the slayer said as he began following the direction of the scent.

The girls didn't need to be told twice, as they quickly followed closely behind the male pinkette. However, as they began to traverse deeper inside, they suddenly came across something unexpected.

"Oh no…why are there monsters here?!"

True to Compa's word, there were a large number of strange looking creatures roaming around the forest. There were yellow, bipedal flowers with angry faces on their heads, blue slime creatures with dog faces, and what looked like walking skeletons wearing glasses and boxing gloves. The monsters were milling about aimlessly, a few of them occasionally bumping into obstacles and even each other. There were some that even roamed about in packs, varying in number and variety.

"Wow, there's so many of them!" Neptune said with excitement.

Compa, on the other hand, was not as enthusiastic as the loli. "What do we do now?" She asked while cautiously eyeing the creatures.

"Isn't it obvious?" The lilac haired girl answered with a confident grin. "We beat up the baddies and get some experience! If we're lucky, we might even get a rare drop!"

Natsu raised an eyebrow at Neptune's choice of words, before he quickly shrugged it off as a grin formed on his face. "Heh, I'm with you on that." He said as he cracked his knuckles, eager to release some pent up frustration.

The pink haired girl turned to her two companions with a worried glance. "Are you two sure about this?" She questioned. Both Natsu and Neptune were still injured after all, and she wasn't exactly eager to let them fight against monsters in their current condition.

If anything, Neptune's grin widened. "These are starter monsters, so there's nothing to worry about!" She said with confidence, before holding up her wooden sword. "Besides, with this bad boy at my side, it'll be a cake walk!"

The pink haired girl looked uncertain, but upon seeing the determined looks on her companions' faces, she realized there wasn't much she could say to change their minds. "Well, if that's the case…" She reached into her hip purse…and pulled out a massive, oversized syringe filled with pink liquid. "…Then I'll help fight the monsters, too!"

Natsu's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "What the hell is that?!" He shouted in disbelief, pointing a finger at the large medical tool.

The pink haired girl tilted her head in confusion. "This is my weapon, silly. How else would I defend myself?" She asked like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The dragon slayer could only stare at Compa in further disbelief. He had seen a lot of strange things while on the job, but this was the first time he had seen anyone use a giant syringe as a weapon. It was more than half her height!

It also didn't help that the needle seemed to glint menacingly in the sunlight, causing the mage to feel more than a little uncomfortable.

Neptune was in a similar state as she broke out into a nervous sweat. "Where did you even get something like that?" She asked.

"Ah, this thing? The instructors at school gave it to me." The pink haired girl explained with a smile on her face. "You see, I'm attending a nursing school to become a certified nurse, and as part of my training I was given this syringe to use for both medical practices and combat."

Natsu and Neptune remained silent as they stared at the pink haired girl dubiously, causing her squirm under their gaze.

"W-Why are you both looking at me like that? This is perfectly normal!" Compa shouted with a flustered look on her face.

"If you say so..." Neptune finally said after a moment, before she turned towards a group of dog slimes that were nearby. "Anyways, enough chit-chat! Let's get this show on the road!" She shouted as she charged at the slimes.

"Ah, wait for me, Nep-Nep!" Compa yelled as she followed the loli into their first battle.

Natsu grinned wildly as he cracked his neck. _Alright, I've been itching for a fight!_ He thought with excitement. Spotting a group of those strange flower creatures, the slayer quickly sprinted towards the nearest one and cocked his fist back. Once he was in range, he threw his fist at it and it connected successfully, sending the poor thing flying into one of the trees. The sentient plant then slowly slid down the trunk, and upon touching the ground, its body suddenly glowed with a pink light before winking out of existence.

Natsu was left momentarily confused by that sight before he noticed that the rest of the creatures were now staring angrily at him. Pushing his confusion aside, he grinned once more as he brought his hand up and motioned them to attack him. "Come on!" He taunted.

The flowers took the bait and they all jumped at the pinkette, attempting to overwhelm him with superior numbers.

Reacting quickly, the slayer threw a right hook that sent several of the creatures flying, before he spun around and quickly threw a kick at another bunch, knocking them back as well. Like a whirlwind, he fought off the creatures from all directions, lashing out with a barrage punches, elbows and kicks.

Within moments, the last plant creature hit the ground before all of them simultaneously vanished.

Seeing that there were no more monsters trying to attack him, Natsu let out a sigh. _Man, what a let down._ He thought, no longer able to hold back his disappointment. He had been hoping for something of a challenge, but it looked like these monsters weren't all that powerful. Even in his weakened state, he was too much for these things.

Letting out another sigh, the slayer decided to turn his attention to his two companions to see how they were holding up.

"Take this!" Neptune yelled as she whacked one of the slimes square in the face with her sword, causing it to glow briefly before disappearing. She smiled happily as she did a brief victory pose, before turning her attention back to the rest of the slime dogs. "Alright, who's next?!" The loli shouted with a cocky smile.

Compa, meanwhile, was taking a much more safer approach. Using her syringe like a long range rifle, she fired out globs of pink fluid at the slimes from afar. When one decided to get too close for comfort, she immediately lashed out with her syringe, briefly stunning the creature before she followed up by stabbing it with the needle and injecting a deadly dose of the mysterious fluid. The slime shivered for a moment, before it went still and faded away. "Alright, I got one!" She cheered while jumping up and down happily.

Natsu chuckled in amusement at the girls' antics, before he suddenly noticed more slimes were beginning to appear from within the forest. He tensed slightly as the creatures began to surround Compa and Neptune, but what happened next was not something he was expecting.

Instead of attacking, the slimes jumped onto the girls and knocked them to the ground, much to their surprise. During the confusion, a few tried to squeeze under Compa's clothes, causing her to flail around helplessly as she tried to knock the creatures off.

"This is really gross!" The pink haired girl shouted with a flustered expression.

Neptune, on the other hand, was lying flat on her back, laughing uncontrollably as the slime dogs licked at her face and neck. "Hahahahahaha, c-cut it out! I-I'm really ticklish!"

' _Okay, so they're not in danger...I think._ ' Natsu thought with a sweat drop as he watched the two girls struggle hilariously against the onslaught of slime dogs. Upon seeing even more of the creatures arrive however, the slayer decided it was time to step in.

Dashing forward, the dragon slayer rushed towards the two girls with a calm expression. The slimes noticed his approach and quickly jumped to attack him, but the mage easily batted them away with his fist, sending the creatures flying through the air. Several more joined the fray, but they soon met the same fate as their former companions as the pinkette began making short work of their pack. In no time at all, only a small number of the creatures remained, whom were now trembling in place upon witnessing their comrades' demise.

Suddenly, the slimes noticed a shadow loom overhead, and they slowly looked up to find the pink haired boy towering over them, his face shadowed as his eyes began to glow with a red, malevolent light.

" **Boo**."

The creatures yelped in fear before scampering off into the forest.

"Well, that was easy." Natsu commented as his expression shifted back to his usual, carefree one. With that out of the way, the slayer turned his attention to the two girls, who were currently sitting on the ground with slack jawed expressions. "You girls okay?"

The girls both blinked at the question before they shook their heads to compose themselves.

"Y-Yes. We feel a little humiliated, but we're okay now." Compa answered gratefully.

"Yeah, thanks for the help, Pinky!" Neptune exclaimed energetically as she jumped to her feet. "You took care of those things in a flash! You must be, like, super high leveled or something!"

Once again Natsu was left confused at the loli's unfamiliar phrasing, before he pushed that aside and instead leveled a glare at her. "I told you to stop calling me that." He grumbled irritably.

"But giving nicknames to people is so much fun!" Neptune countered with a happy expression.

The slayer growled as he prepared to snap at the loli, when he suddenly noticed that Compa was looking off into the forest with a worried look on her face. Raising an eyebrow, he decided to ignore the smaller girl and instead turned his attention to his fellow pinkette. "Oi, Compa!" He decided to call out to her.

Compa jumped slightly at the male's voice before she hastily turned to face him. "A-Ah, yes, Natsu?"

Frowning slightly at her demeanor, Natsu approached her. "You look a little worried there. Something bugging you?" He asked.

At that question, the pink haired girl suddenly frowned. "It's just…strange." She began. "There weren't any monsters around here last night, but now the forest is suddenly swarming with them."

Hearing that, Natsu realized that the pink haired girl was right. If memory served him correctly, the park had been devoid of any people or monsters at the time.

"Are monsters a big problem around these parts?" Neptune suddenly questioned with a curious glance.

Compa nodded at the loli. "Yessy, although that wasn't always the case. While monsters have always been around, they usually stayed away from cities and people. Sure, there were fights every now an then, but nothing too major. But ten years ago, their numbers suddenly exploded." Natsu and Neptune's eyes both widened at those words. "On top of that, new and more aggressive monsters began to appear in large numbers, and they quickly overwhelmed small cities and settlements throughout the land. It wasn't long before they began appearing just outside of the main city."

"Our military did their best to fight them off, but there were just so many of them that they couldn't keep their numbers down for long. It got so bad that even our Goddess, Lady Purple Heart, had to step in to take care of them. But even she couldn't stop them all." Compa revealed in a sad tone. "In the end, all they could do was keep their numbers down as best as they could so that the people living outside of the city would be safe. But now…"

"…Their numbers are growing again." Natsu finished, causing the pink haired girl to nod reluctantly. It seemed that no matter where he went, monsters would always be an issue.

"Hehehe…" Neptune let out a chuckle, grabbing the pinkettes' attention as a look of excitement formed on her face. "A world full of monsters, huh? This sounds just like an RPG~!"

Natsu and Compa both sweat dropped at the loli's words, though in the slayer's case, it was more because of the fact that he had no idea what the petite girl was even talking about.

"…Well, it doesn't really matter one way or the other." The slayer said after a moment, causing both girls to look at him. "If these things keep getting in our way, then we kick their asses. Simple as that."

Neptune and Compa were a little surprised at the male pinkette's words, before their expressions became determined and they simultaneously nodded their heads in agreement.

With that cleared up, the group resumed making their way deeper into the forest, resolved to face anything that would block their path.

 **·····Now Loading·····**

The rest of the trip was rather uneventful, with the only saving grace being when the occasional group of monsters would appear. While Natsu was able to deal with them with little effort, Neptune and Compa struggled a little on their end, though they were quickly showing signs of improvement. Or as the loli put it, they were quickly 'grinding enough EXP to Level Up.'

The slayer still had no clue what petite girl was going on about.

Eventually, after spending a good fifteen minutes of trekking through the forest, the trio finally found themselves standing at the edge of a very large and deep crater.

"…Well, this is it." The mage said as the two girls took in the sight before them.

"No way…" Compa trailed off, her eyes widening and mouth becoming agape from what she was seeing.

"W-What the heck happened here?" Neptune followed suite with her own look of disbelief as she surveyed the damage. It looked like a bomb had gone off in the area. As she continued looking around, a startling thought suddenly came to her. "Wait…did I do this?" She hesitantly asked.

The dragon slayer nodded his head at the loli's question. "Yep, that was all you." He revealed, grabbing his companions' attention. "I was pretty surprised when I found out, too. Sure as hell wasn't expecting to find you of all things in the middle of all that."

Those words caused both girl's eyes to widen further. The crater looked like it was something only a meteorite would create, yet Natsu claimed that the loli was the cause behind it? Such a thing was madness in every sense of the word, and yet neither one of them could find any words to refute that claim.

After a while, Compa eventually spoke up, though by her tone it was clear she was still a little shaken by the recent turn of events. "W-Well, Nep-Nep? Do you remember anything?" She asked in a slight stutter.

The loli hummed as she stared at the crash site, her eyes taking in every detail as she tried to remember something, _anything_. As the seconds flew by, her gaze gradually became more intense, before it suddenly dropped and she let out a sigh.

"…Nope. I've got nothing." Neptune said, causing the two pinkettes to frown. She then turned to the male with a dubious look. "Are you sure this is the right place?"

Seeing the look of doubt being sent his way, Natsu frowned. "You saying I got it wrong?" He questioned in mild annoyance.

"Well, no offense, but you don't seem very bright…"

A vein throbbed on the boy's forehead at those words. "What did you say, you midget?!"

Compa looked between the male and the loli with a nervous look. "Um, guys? I don't think now's the time to-"

 _ **RUMBLE!**_

" **!** "

Everyone froze as they felt the ground shake for a brief moment. Thinking that something might be approaching them, the group immediately went on guard as they looked around the area with their backs facing one another. Natsu readied his fists, Compa held her giant syringe tightly with a look of unease, and Neptune held her wooden sword in front of her, ready to cut down anything that would dare approach her.

As the seconds ticked by, the group remained vigilant, awaiting whatever it was that had caused the ground to shake to reveal itself. After a few moments however, it became apparent that nothing was coming. Even so, no one dared to speak, until the silence was inevitably broken when Neptune let out a small chuckle.

"Heh...guess it was just a false alarm, huh?" The petite girl said as she relaxed her stance.

 _ **RUMBLE!**_

The ground suddenly shook once more, causing the lilac haired girl to cry out in surprise. However, this time the shaking did not cease, and soon large cracks began to spread across the ground.

"W-What's going on?!" Compa cried out in shock as she tried to maintain her balance.

"I think w-we just triggered the n-next event!" Neptune shouted comically.

"What the hell are you even talking about?!" Natsu snapped at the loli, before he felt the ground beneath him sink, causing his eyes to go wide. "Shit, the ground! It's-!"

Unfortunately, the dragon slayer was unable to finish his statement as the ground beneath him and the two girls crumbled away, causing them to fall into the depths below…

 **·····Save Complete·····**

For those wondering about updates, I'm simply going to upload the chapters whenever I feel they are ready. With the way things are in my life at the moment, I won't be able to keep a consistent schedule.

P.S. Oh, and for the reader curious about how Natsu can still use magic in Gameindustri, I do have an explanation for that which will be looked into in a later chapter.

 _ **[Updated 8/28/18]**_


	4. Chapter 4: A New Adventure

**DISCLAIMER**

 **Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima, while the Neptunia series is owned by Idea Factory and Compile Heart.**

 **·····Save File Loaded·····**

The first thing Natsu became aware of as he slowly came back to consciousness was the feeling of the cold, hard ground beneath him. As the rest of his senses returned, a dank, musty smell wafted into his nose, causing him to scrunch his face in mild displeasure. After a moment of simply laying there, he creaked his eyes open, only to be greeted by darkness.

"…Ugh." The slayer groaned out as he slowly pushed himself off from the ground, only to wince suddenly as the entire right side of his body began to throb painfully. _Damn, that hurts like hell._ He thought with clenched teeth.

Once the pain dulled and subsided, and his vision adjusted, the slayer was finally able to take a good look at his surroundings. It appeared that he was inside a small and dimly lit cave, with the only source of light being numerous, faintly glowing blue crystals that were embedded in the ground and the walls. Looking up towards the ceiling, he saw a large hole that was blocked off by several large boulders. It didn't take long to put two and two together. _Guess we fell in through that._ The slayer surmised. _But where are the girls?_ He thought with a frown. As he continued scanning the area, his abruptly eyes widened as they fell upon the unconscious form of Compa, who was sprawled out on her back with her syringe lying next to her.

"Compa!" Natsu shouted in alarm as he rushed over to the unconscious girl. Once he was at her side, he knelt down, placed his hands on her shoulders and began gently shaking her. "Hey, come one, wake up!"

"…Mmmm...five more minutes, Grandpa…"

Natsu sweat dropped as Compa began to mumble in her unconscious state. "Oi, Compa!" He stressed as he shook her a few more times, before her eyes finally fluttered opened.

"N…Natsu?" The pink haired girl said groggily. "What…what happened…?"

The slayer let out a sigh a relief before answering the girl's question. "It looks like we fell down into a cave when the ground collapsed." He replied as he released his grip on her shoulders and pulled back.

A look of surprise flashed across Compa's face as she heard those words. "I-I see…" She said, before her eyes suddenly widened frantically. "W-Wait, where's Nep-Nep?!"

"I haven't found her yet." The slayer admitted with a grimace. "But once you're feeling better, we'll-"

"…Mrmph mmmrpph mmmrrrmph!"

Hearing muffled yelling coming from behind him, Natsu quickly spun around, only to suddenly sputter, much to the pink haired girl's confusion.

"Natsu?" Compa questioned.

"I…haha…found her…hahaha!" He said as he shakily raised his right hand to point a finger, struggling and failing to contain his laughter.

Confused by the boy's words and laughter, the pink haired girl raised her head slightly and looked in the direction he was pointing at.

There, buried upside down up to the waist in a pile of debris, was Neptune, whose exposed legs were currently kicking vainly in the air.

"Nep-Nep?!" She shouted with a comically shocked expression.

"Mmmmph mmmph!" Was all Neptune could say in her current state.

"W-We have to help her!" Compa said frantically.

Natsu let a quick chuckle before he finally managed to calm down. _Ah, I seriously needed that._ He thought as he wiped a tear away. "I'll pull her out." He told his fellow pinkette, before standing up and walking over to the trapped girl. Once he was standing before her, he reached out and with one hand and grabbed her left ankle.

"Mrmph?!" The loli's muffled voice came through as surprised and panicked, before her other leg began to thrash around violently.

The slayer grunted as the loli's leg squirmed his gripped. "Hold still, damn it!" He snapped in annoyance. Tightening his hold, Natsu gave a quick, sharp tug before the rest of Neptune's body suddenly came free from its confines, along with a small cloud of dust.

"…F-Finally! I was starting to feel like a mole in there!" The loli exclaimed in relief, coughing a little at the small amount of dust that entered her lungs. Once she settled down, she looked at her savior and gave a wide smile. "Oh, thanks for the help, Pinky!" She said happily as she continued to hang upside down while covered in dirt.

Feeling his eye twitch, Natsu sighed before he relinquished his hold on the loli's ankle and allowed her to fall right on her head. "Yea, whatever." He said uncaringly, ignoring the girl's subsequent cries of pain. He then turned around and began making his way towards Compa, who was now back on her feet. When she saw him coming her way, the pink haired girl gave a concerned look.

"Is Nep-Nep okay?" Compa questioned worriedly.

Natsu merely threw a thumb over his shoulder at the lilac haired girl, who was currently on her rear while nursing a bump on her head. "She'll be fine." He replied nonchalantly.

"Pinky's a big meanie…" Neptune mumbled with tears in her eyes as she stood up and approached the two pinkettes, before finally taking notice of her surroundings. "Whoa…where are we?" She asked with a confused look.

"…I think we're under the forest right now." Compa said with a frown as she remembered what Natsu had told her earlier. She never would have thought that such a place was hidden under the park the entire time. _This place gives me the creeps._ She thought with a shiver. The nurse in training could only imagine what kind of creatures were lurking inside such a dark and isolated place.

Neptune, on the other hand, became excited. "Oh, do you mean we found a hidden dungeon? That's so cool!" She said with excitement. "Oooh, maybe we'll find a super-secret treasure in here somewhere, or even a hidden boss!"

Compa sweat dropped at the smaller girl. "Nep-Nep, this isn't the time to get excited!" She scolded.

"Aw, but Compa~!"

As the two girls continued to converse, Natsu decided to take the moment to get a better look at their surroundings. Sweeping his eyes across the area, the slayer eventually found a narrow tunnel off to their right.

"Hey girls." The slayer's voice snapped the girls from their conversation. "I think I see a tunnel up ahead."

Hearing that, Compa eagerly looked over the boy's right side, while Neptune peeked over from his left.

"Oooh, you're right!" The purplette exclaimed excitedly.

"I really hope it's an exit..." Compa commented, feeling uneasy being in such a dark and narrow place.

"Only one way to find out." Natsu said casually as he walked ahead of the two girls, both of whom quickly trailed close behind.

 **·····Now Loading·····**

The inside of the tunnel turned out to be even more narrow than it initially appeared, and the dim light didn't help make things any better, made evident when Compa and Neptune began tripping over every little thing on the ground. As the group travelled further in, they suddenly took notice of a bright light that was coming from the end of the long tunnel. Believing it to be a way out, the trio pushed onward, the light shining brighter and forcing them to shield their eyes as came closer until they finally passed through it. But what they found on the other side took their breaths away.

"W-What is this place?"

Compa's question hung in the air as everyone found themselves in a massive and well-lit cavern. Enormous crystals protruded from every corner, from the ground to the walls and ceiling, the light emanating from the minerals shining brighter than those found in the tunnel and casting a beautiful blue glow throughout the area.

"Wow, it's so pretty!" Neptune exclaimed with child-like wonder, while Compa dumbly nodded her head.

While not as surprised as his two companions, Natsu was still nonetheless impressed by the natural beauty of such a sight. However, upon noticing a certain detail, his expression fell into a confused frown. Alongside some of natural pathways were metal railings and bridges that connected them together. The designs were foreign to him, being a mix of metal and circuitry that reminded him of the Droma Anim that the king of Edolas had piloted during the whole Anima fiasco.

"What's with those bridges?" The pink haired mage questioned with a frown.

At this, Compa broke from her stupor as her expression quickly became thoughtful. "Maybe someone was mining for minerals here and left all this behind?" She offered in response.

While the two pinkettes contemplated their situation, Neptune began to wander around the area, looking at every little detail with astonishing curiosity. Peeking over the railing from a nearby bridge, she found that there was a small body of water down below. Staring at its surface, the lilac haired girl began making funny faces to amuse herself. "Hehe..." Neptune giggled at her distorted reflection. Her amusement lasted for a moment before she quickly grew bored, but just as she turned around to return to her companions, something caught her eye.

Off to the far right, located on a slightly elevated rock, was a stone pedestal. Neon blue lines ran up and down the manmade structure like circuits, which occasionally glowed brightly before dimming down.

Eyes twinkling with barely restrained curiosity, the lilac haired girl quickly skipped over to the pedestal. Once she was standing before it, her eyes widened. "Whoa…" Neptune said in a low voice as she stared at a purple colored crystal that was embedded at the center of the pedestal. Slowly, she reached out with her hand and grabbed the priceless jewel. _What is this?_ She wondered while bringing the crystal closer to her face to inspect further, not noticing that the blue lines on the pedestal had dimmed down and ceased glowing.

"Nep-Nep!" Compa's voice echoed throughout the cavern, abruptly snapping the loli from her inspection. "Nep-Nep, where did you go?!"

"Whoopsies, almost forgot about Compa and Pinky." Neptune said to herself as she began running to her two companions. Upon her arrival, she found the two pinkettes in the same spot as before, with Compa looking around in a concerned manner while Natsu was annoyed as usual. "I'm back!" She yelled, grabbing their attention.

"There you are, Nep-Nep!" The nurse in training said with a relieved smile. "You shouldn't wander off like that. You had us worried for a second."

The loli smiled apologetically at the busty girl. "Heh, sorry about that." She apologized sheepishly. "But lookie what I found!" She said cheerfully while waving around the purple crystal in her right hand.

The pinkettes both blinked the crystalline object. "A crystal?" Natsu questioned while raising an eyebrow.

"Yup! I found it on this weird looking pedestal when I was exploring." The loli explained with a smile. "It looked really cool and mysterious, so I figured I'd bring it with me. Oh, I bet we can find a shady and questionable dealer and trade it for some sweet gear!"

The slayer rose an eyebrow at the loli's words. "Well, whatever it is, we can figure it out later. Right now, we need t-"

 _ **SPLAT!**_

Natsu, Compa and Neptune all froze as they heard something splatter onto the ground behind the loli. As the three turned around, they looked down to find a glob of clear, viscous fluid on the floor. Several more drops of the mysterious fluid came falling down all around the group, prompting them to slowly look up before their eyes suddenly widened.

"W-What is that?!" Compa stuttered out, shakily raising her hand to point a finger at a large and monstrous figure that was looming far above them.

Before anyone in the group could respond, the unknown creature suddenly released its hold on the the cave's ceiling and began rapidly falling towards them.

Realizing what was about to happen, Natsu wasted no time as he immediately grabbed the two girls by their waists and pulled them close to his body.

"N-Natsu?!"

"Whoa, watch where you're grabbing, Pinky!"

The slayer ignored the girls' cries of surprise and quickly jumped back, narrowly avoiding the large mass as it came crashing into the ground, sending stone and dust flying in every direction. As soon as Natsu's feet touched the ground, he let go of his two companions and quickly shifted into a battle stance as his obsidian eyes narrowed at the thing hiding within the cloud of dust. Compa and Neptune where still a little shaken at first, but they quickly composed themselves and followed suit, standing at either side of the male as they awaited what was to come.

After a painstaking wait, the dust finally cleared, revealing the form of their aggressor.

The creature was massive, covered from head to toe in a brown colored carapace, with six large legs, accompanied by four smaller ones, supporting its arachnid-like lower body, which possessed numerous mandibles and two set of eyes. It didn't end there however, as the thing possessed another, more humanoid body that was protruding up from the top of the spider's head, sharing the same brown carapace as its lower body, making it appear like a demented knight. A single horn protruded upwards from its smaller head, much like a beetle, while its two, thick arms ended in a pair of three digit claws, which were both grasping the hilt of a massive sword that was as long as its body. The blade itself was of an odd design, resembling the shape of a key while retaining the same brown color as the being that was wielding it.

Seeing such a creature, Comp immediately recognized it as her body began to shake fearfully. "G-Guard Vermin...!" She stuttered out with wide eyes.

Hearing the girl's words, Natsu's ears perked up. "You know what this thing is?" He said with a frown.

The pink haired girl gulped and nodded her head. "It's a rare and powerful monster that guards certain ruins and treasures! We have to be careful!" She warned the group.

The creature slowly rose to its full height, hefting the massive blade over its shoulder before it turned its full attention towards the group before it.

" **GROOOOOOOAH!** "

The subsequent roar it released shook the air, causing Compa and Neptune to tense as they prepared for yet another battle. Though they put on a brave front, the two girls were actually quite nervous at the idea of fighting such a large and intimidating creature.

Natsu, on the other hand, was completed unfazed by the creature's appearance, having fought more frightening things in the past. _Damn, this thing is ugly_. He thought with a frown. The slayer then took a whiff of its scent, which he soon came to regret as his face scrunched in disgust. _Ugh,_ _smells bad, too_.

As the creature's roar died down, it glared menacingly at the trio, its numerous eyes brimming with ill intent.

The dragon slayer merely smirked in the face of such danger.

"Bring it, you overgrown bug."

Those words signaled the start of the battle, as the Guard Vermin immediately rushed towards the group, its numerous feet thundering across the cave floor. Once it was within range, it swung downward with its sword.

The trio was quick to react, with Compa and Neptune dashing off to the left and right respectively, while Natsu jumped backwards as the blade struck the ground, which immediately shattered it as chunks of stone were sent flying in all directions. As the slayer landed in a crouch, he looked up to the see that the Guard Vermin's blue eyes leering menacingly at him.

 _Tch, cocky bastard._ The slayer thought with annoyance.

The creature was already on the move as it made a beeline for the male pinkette. Before it could reach him however, it was suddenly assaulted by a barrage of liquid bullets.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Compa yelled as she began firing shots at the monstrous being. While she was initially nervous about fighting the Guard Vermin, her doubts instantly vanished when she saw it go for Natsu. Now she was unloading on the beast without hesitation, attempting to draw it away from the boy.

The monster stopped its charge and growled in annoyance as it turned its attention to the pink haired girl, raising its unoccupied arm to block some of the projectiles that strayed too close to its face.

With the creature distracted, Neptune took the opportunity to run up to one of its back legs. "Take this!" She yelled as she began to strike the unguarded leg with her wooden sword. Unfortunately, the damage she inflicted was minimal at best, and only served to further provoke the monster's ire, made evident when it raised its leg and attempted to stomp her with it. The loli moved quickly, avoiding the attack by running underneath the Guard Vermin with the help of her small stature. "You'll have to be faster than that!" She taunted as she began attacking its underside.

This time the creature snarled as it began stomping the ground with its multiple feet in hopes of crushing the small girl beneath it. However, in doing so it had dropped its guard.

"You're wide open!" Natsu yelled as he dashed towards the Guard Vermin's lower body. Rearing his fist back, he delivered a powerful punch to the left side of its arachnid-like head, the impact causing it to whip to the side as several cracks briefly formed in its carapace. The monster howled in pain as it stumbled back from the blow, allowing the lilac haired girl to escape it's from its underside unharmed.

"Nice one, Pinky!" Neptune yelled out as she ran to his side.

Natsu merely grunted in response, his eyes locked onto the Guard Vermin as it recovered from his attack. He watched the humanoid upper body lower itself slightly before gently touching the spot where he had struck it, eliciting a small whine its lower body. The creature then raised both its heads and looked directly at him, eyes now glowing with fury.

 _I think I just pissed it off_.

" **GROOOOOOOOOAH**!"

 _Definitely pissed it off!_ The slayer thought as the beast let loose an enraged roar.

And so the battle continued. The Guard Vermin, with its mass and power, did its best to strike down the three humans, but in the end it was far too slow. With Compa shooting at it from a distance, and Natsu and Neptune moving nimbly around it and striking at it when they could, the creature was slowly beginning to tire out from the damage it was sustaining.

However, it wasn't the only one losing steam.

Neptune and Compa were both sweaty and worn out, their untrained bodies unaccustomed to such demanding physical exertion.

"I-I don't think…I can keep this up… anymore…" The loli panted out as she fell to her knees, using her wooden sword as support.

The pink haired girl, likewise, was on her rear, her legs splayed as she stared at her syringe, which only had a small amount of fluid left. "I'm almost…out of…ammo." She said, sounding incredibly exhausted.

For his part, Natsu fared significantly better, his years of training and fighting granting him immense stamina, even in his current state.

"Hah!" The dragon slayer yelled as he jumped up and delivered a kick to the monster's smaller head, causing it to stumble around as it became disoriented. As he landed on the ground, he looked up and smirked at the creature. "Is that all you got, big guy?" He taunted as his body tensed in anticipation for its next attack. While he could have ended the battle by simply using his Dragon Slayer Magic, he chose to simply stick to physical attacks that, while not as powerful, we're still quite effective against the large arachnoid. Considering this was the first creature to not die from a single punch, the slayer wanted to savor this battle as much as possible, lest he end the battle too quickly.

The Guard Vermin recovered and growled in response to the boy's taunt. However, instead of rushing towards him like Natsu thought it would, the monstrous creature instead brought its sword before it and grasped the hilt with both hands. It then pointed the tip of the blade downwards, before proceeding to plunge the blade into the ground between them, much to the slayer's confusion.

 _Is it giving up?_ Natsu wondered with a frown.

His answer came in the form of a green magic circle suddenly appearing beneath the Guard Vermin.

Eyes widening in surprise, the mage watched the weapon slowly began to turn like a dial. Once the flat side of the blade turned to fully to face him, a loud noise echoed throughout the cavern, sounding much like a lock that had been opened by a key. A green light then bathed the entire area as the massive sword began to emit a mysterious glow.

"I don't like this!" Compa remarked.

Neptune was of the same opinion. "I think it's about to use its special attack!" She shouted as well.

The weapon continued to glow brighter and brighter, and soon several beams of light shot out from the magic circle. As they reached up towards the ceiling, the beams coalesced into a glowing green orb that rapidly began to grow in size.

Natsu's eyes widened as he felt the amount of power gathering inside of the orb. He then bit back a curse, realizing that he needed to act fast before the Guard Vermin could unleash its attack upon him and his companions. While he had confidence in his durability, Compa and Neptune were a different story.

If either of the girls were struck by an attack of that magnitude, they would surely die.

For a moment _,_ Natsu recalled the nightmare had had experienced, the bodies of his friends laying lifelessly on the ground, only this time he saw Compa and Neptune lying amongst them. _NO!_ He thought, clenching both of his fists tightly. _I WON'T LET ANYONE ELSE DIE!_ The slayer mentally roared as he kicked off of the ground and charged forward, gathering his magic to put the beast down for good.

"Wait, Natsu!" Compa shouted fearfully as she watched the pink haired boy charge recklessly towards the Guard Vermin. "It's too dangerous!"

But the girl's warning came too late.

At that moment, the Guard Vermin raised its arm towards the boy and unleashed its attack, the massive orb of energy suddenly becoming a beam of pure destruction, shooting down towards the pinkette with devastating force as it tore through everything in its path.

"Shit!" Natsu swore with wide eyes as he found himself directly in the beam's path. With no time to dodge, he quickly crossed his arms in front of him and braced himself as the green wave of energy came crashing into him.

"NATSU!"

"PINKY!"

Compa and Neptune simultaneously cried out in horror as they watched the boy disappear inside the green light. The entire cave shook as the monster's attack continued tearing into the ground like a drill for several more seconds, before it suddenly exploded in a flash of bright light, sending out a shockwave that sent the two girls flat on their backs with respective yelps of surprise and pain.

"Ow…that really hurt." Compa complained as she gingerly sat up, before suddenly coughing as she felt dust enter her lungs. Once she settled own, she slowly opened her eyes, only to find smoke and dust obscuring her vision in every direction. Concerned, she began to look around frantically. "N-Nep-Nep! Nep-Nep, are you okay?!" She shouted out.

There was a brief series of coughs, before the lilac haired girl finally responded. "I-I'm okay! Just a little sore…" She yelled from a distance, causing relief to flood the pink haired girl's body.

As the two girls began to gather their bearings, they noticed that the smoke was finally beginning to clear. They waited with bated breaths as their surroundings slowly became visible, but once things cleared up they could only to gasp at what they saw.

Devastation. That was the best word that described what they were witnessing. The ground was ripped apart, some of the cave walls and parts of the ceiling had collapsed, and shards of broken stone and crystal were scattered everywhere. As for the Guard Vermin, it had seemingly vanished, possibly having been blown away by its own attack.

But of all these things, only one fact truly registered to the two girls, one that made their hearts tighten in their chests.

Natsu was nowhere to be seen.

Compa's eyes widened as she frantically swept the area for any sign of the pink haired boy, only to find nothing. Not even a shred of his clothing remained. "N-no…t-that's impossible…" She said in a low, quivering tone as she dropped her weapon and fell to her knees, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. "He…He can't be…!"

Neptune, on the other hand, was frozen in place, her eyes and mouth set in an expression of utter disbelief as her childish mind was unable to comprehend the reality before her. "T-This is a joke, right? There's no way that Pinky could lose…" She said a stunned tone.

As the two girls remained in their respective positions, a large shadow suddenly loomed over Compa's weeping form. Without warning, a massive claw suddenly grabbed the pink haired girl and pulled her into the air. She quickly responded by yelling out in shock and surprise, the resulting action startling Neptune from her shocked state as she snapped her head towards the pinkette.

"COMPA!" She yelled frantically, her eyes wide as she saw that her friend was being held captive in large claw, belonging to none other than the Guard Vermin. Despite having been in close proximity to its own attack, it seemed to have escaped relatively unscathed. She watched as the creature raised one of its legs before bringing it down upon the pinkette's syringe, shattering it into pieces.

"H-Help, Nep-Nep!" The nurse in training cried out to the smaller girl. Suddenly, she was brought face to face with the creature, and despite the cracks that ran throughout it face, it still possessed a menacing appearance.

" **Groooooah...** "

Compa shivered as the creature released a low growl, feeling fear take hold of her body. Fresh tears began to fall from her eyes, this time out of fear for her own life.

Seeing her friend in danger, Neptune immediately jumped to her feet and began running towards the monster with her sword in hand. "Don't worry Compa, I'll save you!" She cried out. Once she was close enough, she drew her sword back before swinging at one of the monster's legs with all of her might. "EAT THIS!"

 _ **CRACK!**_

"Eh?" The loli said in confusion as she heard a loud crack ring out in the air, before she looked to her weapon to find that the blade portion had snapped off, leaving only small splinters. It took a moment for her mind to process this, before she heard an annoyed growl and she gulped. Slowly, she tilted her head up to find the Guard Vermin's multiple eyes glaring down at her in anger as it rose its weapon high above its head. _Ah, crackers._ Was the only thought that crossed her mind before she hastily threw herself to the side, barely avoiding the monster's blade as it crashed into the ground next to her. The resulting impact caused the floor to literally explode, sending Neptune flying through the air before slamming back first against a stalagmite, causing her to lose her grip on the remains of her wooden sword.

"NEP-NEP!" Compa yelled in concern as she watched the smaller girl slide down to the ground.

Neptune let out a groan as she sat up and gingerly rubbed her back. When she looked back up, she saw the Guard Vermin was slowly beginning to make its way over to her. It suddenly stopped however, before it turned to find that its blade was still embedded into the ground and would not budge. Seeing an opportunity, the loli got to her feet and began running towards a large concentration of stalagmites.

The beast roared in anger at the fleeing girl before it violently ripped its sword free, quickly giving chase. However, it was too slow to keep up, and it quickly lost sight of her amongst the various rock formations. With an annoyed growl and the pink haired girl whimpering in its grasps, the Guard Vermin began to search about the area for its remaining prey.

Behind one of the stalagmites, Neptune sat with her back against the rock formation as she tried to calm her breathing. _Come on Neptune, think! You're the heroine after all! Finding a way out of this impossible situation should be a cinch!_ She thought to herself, trying to think of anything that could possibly help her save Compa and escape in one piece. Sadly, with her weapon broken as it was, there was very little she could do in current state.

[... _Oh dear, it appears you are in quite a predicament at the moment_.]

Neptune nearly yelped in surprise as she suddenly heard a mysterious, feminine voice speak in her head, though she managed to keep her mouth shut. _W-What was that?!_ She wondered frantically as she looked around. It was bad enough that she had the Guard Vermin hunting her down, but now she was starting to hear voices? Was the world out to get her or something?

[ _Oh, I apologize._ ] The voice spoke once more in a calm tone. [ _I did not mean to startle you like that._ ]

This time, the loli blinked. _Um, it's okay?_ She replied with uncertainty, before remembering her current predicament. _Look, can this wait, mysterious voice? I'm kinda in the middle of something_. While it was nice that the voice apologized for scaring her, she still had a giant bug to contend with. Though, the voice did sound vaguely familiar to her for some reason…

[ _I'm hurt, Neptune. Have you forgotten about me already?_ ] The voice said in a saddened tone.

Now Neptune was confused. _Wait, do I know you?_ She questioned with a frown.

Before the voice could respond, the sound of the Guard Vermin growling caused Neptune to freeze. The noise had come dangerously close, and as she peaked around the stalagmite she was hiding behind, she saw the beast standing right next to her. Eyes wide, she immediately pulled her head back as she began to sweat nervously.

 _It's so close!_ The loli screamed mentally as her body went stock still and she broke out into a cold sweat. Fortunately for her, the creature didn't stay long, as it left to continue its search in a different area.

While the lilac haired girl slumped in a relief at not being discovered, the feminine voice spoke once more to her. [ _I do not understand. If that creature is giving you a hard time, then why not activate your Hard Drive Divinity?_ ] She questioned, grabbing the lilac haired girl's attention. [ _If you simply use that, then you will be able to defeat it with ease._ ]

Neptune tilted her head cutely. _Hard Drive what?_

The voice suddenly became silent, as if shocked by what she had heard. [ _Hard Drive Divinity, as in one your main abilities?_ ] She elaborated further.

A frown quickly settled on Neptune's face at those words. _Sorry to burst your bubble, but I sorta lost all my memories._ She explained.

The voice was silent for a moment upon hearing that bit of information. [ _...I-I see._ _That would explain a few things from before_.] The voice mumbled cryptically.

Confusion set in the loli at that last sentence, but she quickly shook it off. _So wait, you're saying if I use this Hard Drive thingy that I apparently have, then I'll be able to beat this thing?_

The voice hummed in affirmation. [ _Yes. With that power, you would become more than a match for this beast. However, it may be impossible in your current state._ ]

Despite those words, Neptune was not the least bit deterred. _I don't care if it's impossible! Even if the chance less than one percent, I'll take it!_ She replied resolutely. _So please, help me save Compa! I…I don't want to lose another friend!_ The loli pleaded from the bottom of her heart.

The voice was left stunned by the loli's heartfelt plea. Then, after a moment, she spoke again. [… _Very well then. If you feel that strongly about this, then I have no choice but to lend you my aide._ ] She responded with an unseen smile, causing Neptune to smile brightly.

 _Thanks a bunch, mysterious voice!_ The diminutive girl thanked gratefully _._ _So what's the plan?_

[ _Engage the Guard Vermin. I will take care of the rest._ ]

Neptune blinked at the rather straightforward answer. She was expecting the voice to tell her to do a strange pose or dance, or even shout a bizarre phrase. It was honestly a bit disappointing. _Uh, alright. If you say so._ Was her only response, before she jumped out from her hiding spot and took a deep breath. "Hey, you big, ugly freak!" The loli suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs.

Immediately, the Guard Vermin snapped its head towards her voice, its eyes glowing malignantly, causing Compa to panic.

"RUN AWAY, NEP-NEP! YOU CAN'T FIGHT IT!" The pink haired girl shouted fearfully as the creature began slowly making its way towards the smaller girl.

Neptune frowned at those words as she lowered her head slightly. "No, I'm not going to run away and leave you behind!" She shouted back, causing Compa's eyes to widen. "I'm gonna stay here and beat this thing so we can both go home and eat some delicious pudding together, because…because…" She then raised her head, giving the pink haired girl a wide, teary eyed smile. "Because we're friends, aren't we?"

Compa was rendered speechless for a moment, unable to respond to the loli's heartfelt words as tears began to form in her eyes as well. "Nep-Nep…" She finally said in a low whisper.

Neptune continued to smile for a few more seconds, before she quickly wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her sweater, her expression hardening as she prepared to fight the Guard Vermin one final time.

[ _Are you ready, Neptune?_ ]

Hearing those words, the loli nodded her head in confirmation. _Ready and willing!_ She replied without hesitation or fear.

[ _Then there is no turning back._ ] The voice spoke, before taking a deep breath.

[ _ **Neptune, may your power arise-!**_ ]

A strange, blueish light began to surround Neptune as the voice spoke those words, before she felt a strange, yet familiar power flow through her body. As this was happening, digital Zeros and Ones began to randomly appear in the air all throughout the surrounding area.

Seeing such a spectacle, Compa was left completely awed. _What's happening to Nep-Nep?_ She wondered as she kept her eyes glued on her friend.

Suddenly, a disc appeared before Neptune, causing her to blink at the sight in confusion. As she continued staring at it however, something clicked in her mind, and she reached out with her right hand to grab it. As soon as her fingers made contact, the loli was enveloped in a brief flash of bright light.

Compa quickly shielded her eyes as the light blinded her. Once it died down, she slowly lowered her arms and opened her eyes, only to let out a gasp.

"N-Nep-Nep?" The pinkette said in an unbelieving tone.

Where there was once a young girl who was just entering adolescence, there now stood a mature and beautiful woman at the peak of adulthood. Her short lilac hair had grown longer, now braided into long twin tails that fell down just below her knees. It wasn't just her body that changed however, as her clothing, too, had become different. Instead of an oversized white sweater, she now wore a black, skintight leotard with purple segments and silver pieces that hugged her new, curvy body. Black gloves tipped with sharp claws covered her hands, while her knee high socks had become long black stockings that had become part of a pair of black boots. There were also a few new additions, such as her D-pad hair clips changing into small black pods with glowing blue crosses, as well as several pieces of what appeared to be black and purple armor that hovered around her head, shoulders, waist and feet.

As if to finish off her transformation, a pair of butterfly-like wings made up of yellow and purple energy suddenly formed behind her, hovering a few inches from her back.

Slowly, Neptune's eyes fluttered opened, revealing electric blue irises that encircled a pair of vertical lines with half circles curving underneath each one. Bringing her hands up to her face, the woman's expression became awed as she looked over herself.

"This body...is this really me?" She said in a deeper and more mature tone, her voice no longer that of a young girl.

[ _It is._ ] The voice chimed in, sounding pleased. [ _This is who you truly are, Neptune._ ]

Upon hearing those words, a look of understanding flashed across Neptune's face, before it turned serious. She then outstretched her right hand, and with a mysterious force willed the broken remains of her wooden sword she had previously lost to return to her. As soon as the handle flew into her palm, it was briefly enveloped in a bright light before it faded to reveal a large and beautiful black katana. Wrapping her fingers around the handle, she rose the newly formed weapon and pointed it at the Guard Vermin.

"Prepare yourself, monster!"

At the woman's shout, the arachnoid growled as its eyes briefly flashed red with anger before it charged straight for her.

Neptune remained calm even as the creature approached, shifting into a stance as she gripped her weapon with both hands. She waited for a moment, before she suddenly kicked off the ground and shot forward at blinding speeds, taking the creature by surprise. The lilac haired woman let out a yell as she slashed at the Vermin's abdomen while passing by, her blade slicing clean through its armor with ease. Blue blood spurted from the newly formed wound as the monster roared in pain, before it quickly swiveled around to face the woman, swinging its own blade in a wide arc in an attempt to cut her down. The attack failed however, as Neptune gracefully flipped into the air before simply hovering in place.

Compa's eyes immediately went wide at the sight. _Nep-Nep can fly?!_ She thought incredulously.

The Vermin was just as surprised as its captive, but it quickly shook it off as it resumed its attack, swinging wildly at the floating woman with renewed vigor.

A look of concentration formed on Neptune's face as she darted around the monster's attacks, trying to find an opening. As the creature over extended on one of its swings, she found her opportunity and flew in close, delivering a slash across its face. The creature howled in agony at the pain it felt, to the point that it flung the pink haired girl from its grasp to grab it's second face.

The pink haired girl let out a cry of surprise as she found herself flying quickly through the air. Seeing the ground rapidly approaching, she squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the inevitable impact. But instead of feeling the cold, hard ground like she was expecting to, she collided against something soft, yet firm, which was followed shortly by a pair of arms wrapping around her, holding her close.

"I've got you."

A mature voice spoke soothingly in the pinkette's ears, causing her to quickly open her eyes and look up to find Neptune's smiling face.

"Nep-Nep!" Compa shouted in a mix of surprise and relief as tears pooled in the corners of her eyes.

The woman's smile widened at those words, happy to see that her friend was okay. It quickly faded however, as a loud roar reminded her that the Guard Vermin still needed to be dealt with. Descending towards the ground, Neptune set the pink haired girl on her own feet before turning to face the beast.

"Stay put, Compa. I'm going to finish this." She told the ditzy girl.

Compa stared at the woman with concern for a moment, before it shifted into a serious frown. "Be careful, Nep-Nep."

Hearing those words, Neptune gave a reassuring nod before she suddenly blasted off towards the arachnid-like creature.

The Guard Vermin, noticing her approach, roared once more, its eyes glowing bright red as it charged straight for her, slashing away with reckless abandon. Each swing was strong enough to cut through stone, yet Neptune weaved around each attack with ease and grace, countering with her own attacks each time it left itself open. Wounds soon began to litter the monster's body as its vitality was steadily chipped away, and before long it found itself being pushed into a corner. Realizing it would soon be defeated, the Guard Vermin roared as it raised its blade with both hands and brought it down upon the lilac haired woman with all of its might.

Rather than dodging the incoming attack, Neptune merely braced herself as she blocked the attack with her own blade. Sparks flew as the two weapons pushed against each other, their respective wielders trying to overpower the other. For a moment, it appeared that neither side would give in, but it soon came to an end when the lilac haired woman let out a yell and, in a display of monstrous strength, parried the enormous blade. As the creature stumbled back in surprise, Neptune closed in for the kill.

"THIS IS THE END FOR YOU, MONSTER!" She shouted as she raised her blade over her head with both hands, her entire body glowing with a purple light before she brought the sword down across the creature's chest. Blood sprayed out from the fatal wound as the Vermin was sent skidding back from the attack, its body smashing through everything in its path until it finally crashed violently against the cave wall. Releasing its grip on its sword, the monster struggled vainly to keep itself standing, but after a few seconds its legs suddenly gave way and it slumped to the ground with a thud. After a moment, its eyes dimmed, signaling its defeat.

Neptune remained still, keeping her guard up as she carefully watched the monster's motionless body. Once she realized the creature was not going to get back up, she relaxed her stance. _It's finally over._ She thought to herself. Yet despite her victory over the Guard Vermin, a bitter feeling rose within her chest. She and Compa had lost someone they considered a friend. _Natsu…_ Neptune tightened her grip on her weapon at the thought of the pink haired boy, feeling both sadness and guilt. Though her current, more mature mind told her it wasn't her fault, she still felt that she could have prevented his death. Had she transformed sooner, then maybe he would have still been standing alongside her and Compa.

Letting out another sigh, the lilac haired woman began to slowly descend towards the ground. Once her feet touched the cave floor, she turned around just in time to see Compa running up to her.

"That was amazing, Nep-Nep!" The pink haired girl cheered as she came up to the woman and threw her arms around her for a tight hug. "You really were able to beat that Guard Vermin. I'm...I'm glad you're okay." She said in a whisper, full of happiness and relief.

A look of surprise flashed across Neptune's face at the sudden action, though it was soon replaced with a small smile as she returned the hug. After a moment, the pink haired girl pulled back and began to stare, and needless to say it was beginning to make the lilac haired woman feel uncomfortable. "I-Is something wrong?" She asked awkwardly.

Compa merely shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong. I'm just surprised at how different you look now. It's like you grew up all of a sudden." She replied with a thoughtful look.

"I don't really understand it myself, to be honest." Neptune said as she brought her hand up to her face with a slight frown. "I heard a voice speak to me when I was hiding from that creature, and it helped me transform into…this."

A puzzled expression quickly formed on the pinkette's face. "A voice?" She questioned.

Before Neptune could sate the girl's curiosity, a noise suddenly drew their attention. Turning towards the origin of the sound, they saw that the Guard Vermin was struggling to stand up, its eyes flickering as it stubbornly clung to life.

"I-It's still alive?" Compa stuttered out shock.

Clicking her tongue, Neptune shifted back into battle mode. "Persistent beast. Just die already!" She shouted angrily. However, just before she could finish it off once and for all, the woman was abruptly enveloped in a bright light, which soon faded to reveal Neptune in her smaller form with a broken weapon in hand. "Hey, what gives?!" She cried out at the sudden inconvenience.

"Why'd you change back, Nep-Nep?!" The pink haired girl exclaimed in a panic.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" The loli retorted.

"Well, hurry up and change again!"

Neptune closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to recall the sensation she felt when she transformed previously. When nothing happened, she began to progressively sweat, until her eyes finally snapped open. "I-I can't! It's like I'm on a cooldown or something!" She exclaimed with frustration.

" **Grrrrrrrrr…** "

Both girls gulped as the Guard Vermin released a growl, its bloodied form slowly limping towards them. Fortunately, it was far too wounded to move properly, giving them an advantage.

"L-Let's get out of here, Nep-Nep!"

Neptune had no qualms with Compa's suggestion as they both prepared to high tail it out of the cave.

 _ **RUMBLE!**_

The two girls, along with the Guard Vermin, suddenly staggered as the ground shook briefly.

"Oh, what is it this time?!" The loli complained with annoyance.

Compa fidgeted slightly as she looked around in concern. "Please don't be another monster…" She mumbled quietly to herself. They already had to deal with one dangerous creature, they certainly didn't need another one rearing its ugly head. Before she could continue that train of thought however, she felt the surrounding temperature begin to slowly rise, much to her confusion. "Hey Nep-Nep?"

"Yea, Compa?" Neptune replied a she continued looking around cautiously.

"Is it just me…or is it getting warmer all of a sudden?"

Neptune paused for a moment before her brow furrowed in confusion as well. "…Now that you mention it, it is starting to feel a little stuffy all of a sudden." She said as sweat began to form on her face.

The Guard Vermin seemed to notice the change in temperature as well, as it was now looking about the area in a distressed manner.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake again, this time starting off slow before steadily growing more powerful with each passing moment. Cracks began to form in the ground between the two parties, and as the temperature reached its peak, the floor violently split apart as an enormous stream of fire escaped from within. The flames shot up towards the ceiling as a super-heated gust of wind swept through the area, buffeting everyone present.

 _I-It's so hot._ The nurse in training thought as she and Neptune felt the immense heat wash over them.

"…Man, what a pain."

The two girls' eyes went wide as they heard a voice speak from within the fire, one that they were sure they would never hear again.

As the flames dissipated, a familiar figure suddenly jumped out of the hole in the ground and landed before the two girls in a low crouch. His clothes were in tatters, save for the white scarf wrapped loosely around his neck, and the bandages that once covered his upper body had been torn to shreds, revealing chiseled pectorals and abdominals marred by numerous cuts that were still in the process of healing.

Expressions of utter disbelief formed on the girls' faces as both they gawked, unable to believe what they were seeing.

Before them was none other than Natsu, who was alive and well.

The pink haired boy slowly rose from his crouch to his full height, a serious expression on his face. Once his obsidian orbs landed on Compa and Neptune however, it quickly shifted to surprise before he gave a closed eyed grin. "Yo!" He greeted casually with a small wave.

Seeing that it was indeed Natsu standing before her, Compa shakily brought her hands to her mouth as tears began to fall from her eyes. _I-It's really him…Natsu…Natsu's alive!_ She thought with immense relief.

Neptune had a few tears in her eyes as well, her own face expressing joy at seeing the pink haired male again. _Alright, Pinky! I knew he wouldn't bite the dust that easy!_ She cheered internally.

The slayer continued grinning at his two companions like an idiot, before a noise drew his attention towards the Guard Vermin. "Heh, that's right. I'm back you ugly bas-" He began, only to pause mid-sentence upon finally taking notice of the creature's wounded state. "Whoa, what the hell happened to you?" He questioned while scrunching his face in confusion.

The monster merely snarled at the boy in response.

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Touchy. Well, I guess it doesn't matter in the end. Normally I wouldn't try fighting a wounded opponent, but…" The slayer trailed off, his expression suddenly becoming angry. "...You tried to hurt my friends." As soon as he finished those words, his right hand came alight with flames, shocking everyone present.

 _ **H-His hand's on fire?!**_ Compa and Neptune thought simultaneously.

Bending his knees, Natsu launched himself at the Guard Vermin while rearing his flame-cloaked fist back. "I'M GOING TO TURN YOU INTO ASH!" He roared at the top of his lungs.

Watching as the pink haired boy approached, the Guard Vermin could do nothing but ready itself as best as it could against the incoming attack. Gathering what little strength it had left, it reared its own fist back to meet the boy's own.

Nearing his target, Natsu threw his fist as the creature quickly mirrored his action. When the two attacks collided however, the slayer's burning punch broke right through the Guard Vermin's armored hand, causing it howl in agony. Not stopping his attack, the pink haired boy pushed forward, breaking through the rest of the monster's arm before eventually making his way up to its shoulder, setting the rest of its body ablaze. The Guard Vermin's roars intensified as it stumbled around, flailing its remaining arm in a vain attempt to put out the fire was threatening to burn it alive.

Jumping back from the burning creature, Natsu landed on his feet and took a deep breath. "FIRE DRAGON'S…" He felt his magic swell within him as fire began filling his lungs, and upon reaching their capacity, he unleashed his signature spell. "ROAR!" The slayer exclaimed as he released large stream of fire from his maw, which quickly raced towards the Guard Vermin.

Unable to fight back, creature gave a final roar of defiance before the rushing flames washed over its body, ending its life for good.

The dragon slayer watched silently as his flames continued to burn for a few seconds before slowly dissipating into numerous embers, revealing only scorched ground where the Guard Vermin once stood. Satisfied with his handiwork, he turned back to Compa and Neptune, only to stumble back as a purple and white blur slammed into him. "T-The hell?!" He exclaimed, before looking down to find Neptune latching onto him while looking up at him with stars in her lilac colored eyes.

"That was awesome~!" The loli exclaimed in amazement. "The way you burst out of the ground all cool-like! You looked so badass! And that flaming punch, oh man, and then you literally _breathed_ fire! It was soooooo cool~!"

The dragon slayer sweat dropped at Neptune's words. "Err, thanks?" He responded with uncertainty, not at all expecting to receive such praise from the loli. Usually she only gave him teasing or annoying remarks.

Neptune merely smiled widely before she pulled away from the boy, much to his relief. As he turned to regard Compa, he found the pink haired girl rooted in place while staring at him with wide, disbelieving eyes, causing him to frown slightly in concern.

"Uh, you okay there, Compa?" He called out to her.

The aforementioned girl blinked, her expression suddenly becoming strangely blank. For a moment she merely stared at him motionlessly, before her lower lip began to tremble and tears formed in her eyes.

"NATSU!"

Natsu's eyes widened as he found himself being tackled to the ground by the pink haired girl, causing him to yelp in surprise. "H-Hey, what's the big de-"

"Y-You're alive…!" The slayer froze when he heard Compa's trembling voice, her hands gripping the remains of his waistcoat tightly as she buried her face in his chest. "W-When you got h-hit by the Guard Vermin's attack…I thought...I-I thought you had died!" The pink haired girl cried.

Natsu's eyes widened once again at those words, before they softened as a small smile spread across his face. "It's okay Compa. I'm right here." He said gently as he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back soothingly, the pink haired girl saying nothing in response as she continued to sob into the boy's chest.

"But how did you survive the Guard Vermin's attack?" Neptune questioned with a curious glance.

Natsu gave a derisive snort at the question. "I've been hit with worse." He replied. While the Guard Vermin's attack had hurt like hell, it was far from being powerful enough to kill him in comparison to some of the spells he had been hit with in the past. "Though it did manage to push me pretty deep into the ground and knock me out for a bit when it exploded. When I came to, I was buried under a ton of dirt and rocks, so I had to dig my way out. Wasn't exactly a fun experience."

The loli only gaped at the male pinkette with disbelieving eyes. _An attack like that only knocked him out? Just what the heck is this guy made out of?!_ She thought in bewilderment. Even when she had transformed, she was still wary of the Guard Vermin's powerful attacks, knowing that if one had hit its mark, she would have suffered some degree of damage.

"But what the hell happened to that thing after I got hit by its attack?" The slayer questioned with a frown. Poor bastard looked like it had run into Erza after having her cake ruined.

At that question, a smug grin formed on Neptune's face. "That was all me!" She said cheerfully while gesturing to herself with her right thumb.

Now it was Natsu's turn to gape. "W-What?!" He exclaimed disbelievingly. He then looked down at the remains of the girl's weapon in her hand and frowned. "Like hell you did!"

"But it's true!" Neptune retorted with a cute expression, waving her arms childishly in an effort to look more convincing. "While you were busy napping in the dirt, Compa got taken captive and I had to fight for my life! Then I heard this mysterious voice, and it helped transform into a beautiful Goddess with the power to strike down that big bug! If it wasn't for that, Compa and I would've been goners!" She ranted.

The slayer merely furrowed his brow at the lilac haired girl's tall tale, but before he could refute her words, Compa spoke up.

"Nep-Nep's telling the truth." The pink haired girl said as she pulled back from the boy and wiped her tears away with her finger. "I saw everything. Nep-Nep was covered in a mysterious blue light, before she suddenly changed! She was all grown up and started beating up the Guard Vermin like it was nothing!"

A conflicted look formed on Natsu's face as he listened to his fellow pinkette's words, still unconvinced that the lilac haired girl had managed to wound the arachnid-like creature to such an extent. "…If you say so." He grumbled in response, simply accepting the explanation for the time being.

Neptune frowned at the boy's dubious expression. "Well, what about you, mister?" She questioned while placing her hands on her hips. "How do you explain all that fire business?"

Natsu didn't even hesitate to answer. "Oh, that? That was just my magic." He replied nonchalantly.

Compa and Neptune both blinked at that. " **Magic?** " They both repeated, to which the boy nodded in confirmation.

"So you're like a wizard or something?" The loli inquired with a curious expression.

Again, Natsu nodded. "A mage, actually." He corrected, though it wasn't that big of a deal to him really. Wizards, mages, sorcerers…they all used magic, and thus were all the same in his eyes.

At the boy's response, awed expressions formed on girls' faces.

"Wow...You're an alien who can use magic. That's incredible!" The nurse in training exclaimed with amazement.

"Geez Pinky, you're like a main character straight of a Shounen manga." The lilac haired girl added her own two cents in with a giggle.

The girls' respective responses caused Natsu to frown, before he let out a sigh. "...Whatever. Let's just get the hell out of this place." The slayer said as he stood up. He then offered a hand to Compa, who gratefully took it.

"I can't argue with that." Neptune readily agreed.

Compa nodded her head in agreement as well. "I wanna go home and take shower…" She replied with small whine. After running around the cave, and being covered in sweat and dirt, all she wanted was a hot shower to wash away the grime.

As the trio prepared to leave, Neptune noticed something gleaming out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she saw the purple crystal she had found earlier laying on the ground amongst some rubble. _Oh, I completely forgot about that thing!_ The loli realized. It seemed she had dropped the crystalline object at some point during the Guard Vermin's attack and hadn't realized it. Even through the entire battle, it had somehow survived unscathed.

Not wanting to go empty handed after everything that had happened, Neptune quickly ran over to the crystal and grabbed it, making sure to stuff it into her sweater's right pocket.

"Let's go, Nep-Nep!"

"Coming~!" The loli yelled as she chased after the two pinkettes, unaware that the crystal had begun to glow faintly inside of her pocket.

 **·····Now Loading·····**

The cave turned out to be a bigger pain to explore than the group had anticipated, with many twists and turns that looped back into previously explored areas or out outright dead ends. Despite this the trio persisted, unwilling to give up so easily, and they were eventually rewarded with a tunnel that led towards a random area in the Virtua Forest.

"Oh fresh air, how I missed you~!" Neptune exclaimed happily as she threw her arms out and took in deep breath.

Compa on the other hand simply collapsed to the ground with a look of exhaustion. "I thought we would never get out of that place…" She groaned out pitifully.

Natsu chuckled at his fellow pinkette's words. "We still need to walk back to the city." He pointed out, eliciting another groan from the pink haired girl. "It's too bad that little trip to the park turned out to be a bust, though."

The pink haired girl let out a sigh at that. "Not only did Nep-Nep not remember anything, we ended up falling into a cave and ran into a big, mean monster."

Hearing the pinkettes' conversation, Neptune quickly spun around to face them. "I wouldn't say it was complete waste of time. Not only did I find out I could transform, but I also brought this with me!" She said with a smile as she reached into her pocket and presented the purple crystal to the two pinkettes. "Tada~!"

Compa went wide eyed at the sight of the gemstone. "You brought that with you?" The nurse in training questioned.

The loli winked in response. "I'd say it's a nice little reward for all the trouble we went through."

Natsu stared at the object with a curious look. "What the heck is that thing anyways?" He questioned with a frown.

Before either of the girls could come up with a response to the boy's query, another voice beat them to it.

[ _That object is called a Key Fragment._ ]

Everyone's eyes grew wide as they suddenly heard the same feminine voice within their heads.

"Who's there?!" Natsu shouted in a demanding tone as he looked around the area, his fists coming alight with fire as Compa quickly got to her feet and began to look around warily.

Neptune, however, was quick to recognize the voice. "Wait, that's the mysterious voice I heard from before!" She exclaimed towards the two pinkettes, causing them to turn to her with surprised looks.

[ _Please calm down, everyone._ ] The mysterious voice pleaded. [ _I simply wish to speak with you three for a moment._ ]

The slayer quickly frowned at those words. "And why should we listen to you?" He retorted with narrowed eyes.

There was a pause as the voice became silent, no doubt contemplating her response. Before she could speak, however, Neptune suddenly spoke up in her stead.

"I think we should give her a chance." The loli began, causing Natsu and Compa to turn to her again. "I mean, she did help me with that giant bug back in the underground cave after all. She can't be all bad."

Hearing that, Compa quickly nodded her head in agreement. "I agree with Nep-Nep!" She said with a smile.

With the nurse in training on board, Neptune turned to Natsu with a pleading look, who merely looked back with an impassive face. The two stared at one another for several long seconds, before the boy dismissed his flames and he released a grumble.

"…Fine."

Neptune's face immediately lit up as she threw herself at the male pinkette and hugged him, much to his annoyance. "Thanks, Pinky!"

"Yea, yea, I get it!" Natsu growled as he forcibly pried the small girl away from him, before addressing the mysterious voice. "We'll listen to what you have to say, but if you try anything funny, I'll make you regret it." He warned in a threatening tone.

[ _Then you have nothing to worry about._ ] The voice spoke in response, giving everyone the sensation that she was smiling. [ _Well, before I begin, I should first introduce myself. I am Histoire, a tome who watches over the world of Gameindustri. It is nice to meet all of you.]_

The trio blinked at that. " **A tome?** " They repeated.

Histoire hummed in affirmation. [ _Think of me as someone who watches the happenings world and records everything._ ] She explained. [ _I know of all things that have happened in Gameindustri, from events to the names of all of its inhabitants._ ]

Compa blinked at that. "Even me?" She questioned while pointing at herself.

[ _Of course, Compa._ _I've known about you since the day you were born._ ] The tome answered, much to the girl's disbelief.

As the pink haired girl was left awe struck, a confused expression suddenly formed on Neptune's face. "Wait a minute...Histoire...tome...? Why does all that sound familiar?" She suddenly questioned aloud.

[ _That is because we have met once before, Neptune._ ] The tome revealed, causing the loli to blink in surprise. [ _I had contacted you telepathically while you were unconscious, but before I could fully explain everything, you had woken up._ ]

A look of confusion flashed across Neptune's face before it shifted to one of realization. "Huh, so that's what that was. I thought it was just some weird fever dream." She said with a chuckle.

[ _No, it was indeed real._ ] Histoire replied with an exasperated tone. [ _However, now that you're awake, I would like to ask you for a favor._ ]

At those words, Neptune blinked in surprise. "You want a favor from me?" She questioned while pointing at herself.

[ _I do, Neptune._ ] The tome stated in a serious tone. [ _Please, break me free from my seal!_ ]

Upon hearing Histoire's plea, the trio became silent as their eyes widened with both surprise.

"You're sealed away?" Compa questioned after a moment, to which the tome responded with an affirmative hum. "But how come?"

[ _Long ago, I was sealed away by the first Goddess of Gameindustri, left to watch over this world until the time came that I would be needed once more._ ] Histoire explained. [ _And that time is now. But only through the collection of the Key Fragments can I be set free._ ]

At those words, a look of confusion flashed across the loli's face. "You mean this weird crystal thingy?" She asked curiously as she and the two pinkettes stared at the purple crystal in her hand.

[ _That is correct. The one you are currently holding is Planeptune's Key Fragment. There are three more remaining; one residing in Lastation, another in Leandbox, and the final one in Lowee. On top of that, each one is hidden away and guarded by powerful monsters._ ]

Neptune was quick to pale at those words. "That sounds pretty dangerous..." She said, suddenly feeling uneasy about the tome's request.

[ _It is._ ] The tome admitted. [ _However, if you can release me, then in turn I will be able to restore your forgotten memories._ ]

Now that got everyone's attention. "You can fix Nep-Nep's brain loss?" Compa questioned with a hopeful tone, not noticing the lilac haired girl sputtering at her error.

[ _Err, I believe it is called memory loss, but yes, it is well within my power to fix it._ ]

"Oh, well why didn't you just say so sooner? I'll search high and low for those fragment thingies!" The lilac haired girl said with a bright and determined expression.

Compa was quick to frown at those words. "Are you sure about this, Nep-Nep?" She questioned with concern.

The lilac haired responded with a nod. "Of course! Even though it sounds kinda scary, if it means I'll be able to regain my memories, then I'll risk it." She said resolutely. "And besides, I kinda owe her for giving me a hand with the Guard Vermin."

The nurse in training was taken by surprise from the loli's words, before her expression became serious. "I see. Well, if Nep-Nep is going on an adventure for these Key Fragments, then I'll join too!"

Now it was Neptune's turn to look surprise. "You wanna come along, too?" She questioned, to which the pink haired girl nodded. "But what about nursing school?"

Hearing that, Compa shook her head. "The school's been closed for a while due to increased monster activity, so I can pick up where I left off once it reopens." She explained, before giving an angelic, closed eyed smile. "Besides, we're friends, aren't we?"

The loli was now on the verge of tears. "C-Compa…" She said in a low tone as she smiled happily at her friend.

"…Plus, if I let you go off like how you are now, you'll probably end up getting yourself killed." The pink haired girl added while still smiling.

Neptune suddenly blanched and staggered back at the remark, feeling as though an arrow had pierced her chest.

Off to the side, Natsu watched the scene with some amusement. In truth, he wasn't entirely sure what to think of the whole situation, with this Histoire person suddenly asking for Neptune's help and claiming she could fix the girl's amnesia, so he simply chose to keep quiet. However, after witnessing Neptune's bright and determined expression, he couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic.

 _An adventure, huh?_ Natsu thought with a small smile, remembering his own adventures he had experienced with his guild mates.

"...Hey, Gameindustri to Pinky! Can you hear me?!"

The slayer was abruptly pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Neptune's obnoxious voice, and he looked down slightly to find the diminutive girl standing before him with an annoyed look on her face. "You say something?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.

The loli puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms over her chest. "Geez, didn't you hear what I just said? I was asking if wanted to come with us, too." She explained.

Natsu raised his eyebrows in surprise at those words. "You want me to come along?" He questioned, receiving a nod from the lilac haired girl. "But why?"

For a moment, Neptune looked contemplative as she hummed thoughtfully, before giving a sheepish expression. "Well, I don't really know why, to be honest. It just feels right asking you, ya know?" She explained with a light shrug before giving a bright smile. "Besides, it'll be more fun if we're all together, don't ya think?"

For a moment, the image of Neptune was replaced with that of Lucy's, who was smiling brightly at him while holding a flier for a job in hand.

" _Let's go on a mission, Natsu!"_

Natsu's eyes went wide for a moment, before he suddenly began to chuckle, much to Neptune's chagrin.

"What's so funny?" The loli asked with annoyance.

"Nothing, I was just remembering something." The slayer replied as his chuckling died down, before a grin spread across his face. "Sure, I'll tag along with you and Compa."

Neptune's eyes widened before her expression immediately did a one eighty, becoming one of delight. "Awesome! With the three of us together, nothing will stop us from collecting those Key Fragments!" She declared with a confident look while pumping her fist into the air.

Natsu chuckled at the loli's reaction while Compa let out a giggle.

[ _E-Everyone_ …] The tome trailed off with a trembling voice, grabbing everyone's attention. [... _Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me._ ]

"Hey, save the tears for when we finally release you, Histy." Neptune remarked, causing Histoire to sputter abruptly.

[ _H-Histy_?] She stuttered out at the nickname the loli had just given her.

Compa suddenly raised her hand. "Can I call you Histy, too?" She questioned innocently.

By now, the tome had become silent, before she finally released a sigh of what sounded like resignation. [ _...Fine. You may both call me that._ ] She said with reluctance, causing the two girls to cheer briefly. [ _At any rate, you should all rest up and prepare yourselves for this journey. It will be a long and perilous one, so please be sure to take care of yourselves._ ] Histoire advised, getting nods from the trio.

"You can count on us! Just hang tight and well free you in no time!" Neptune proclaimed with a confident smile, Natsu and Compa standing at either side her with their own confident expressions.

[ _Thank...you…_ ] Histoire responded, though her voice suddenly became distorted, much to the confusion of the three present.

"Are you okay, Histy?" Compa questioned with concern.

[ _Using...Fragment...unicate…out…ti…m…e….._ ] Again, the tome's voice was heavily distorted as her words trailed off, making it difficult to understand what she was trying to say.

"Hey, Histy!" Neptune called out, only to receive no response. "Histy!" She called out again.

Silence.

"...Sounds like she's gone." Natsu said after a moment.

Neptune pouted at that. "Aw man, I wanted to talk with her some more." She mumbled out dejectedly.

"Don't worry, Nep-Nep." Compa said with an assuring tone. "Once we free her, I'm sure you'll be able to talk to her all you want!"

The loli immediately perked up at those words. "You're right, Compa!" She said, before suddenly breaking out into a full sprint towards Planeptune's main city. "Come on, slowpokes! Those Fragments aren't gonna collect themselves!" The loli yelled out.

"H-Hey, don't leave us behind, Nep-Nep!" Compa yelled as she began chasing after the smaller girl.

As the two girls ran off, Natsu merely sighed before taking off himself, but not before silently contemplating whether or not he had made the right choice in agreeing to join the two girls on this journey to free this mysterious Histoire individual.

Well, it sure as hell beat being confined to a small apartment while sitting around doing nothing. And who knows, maybe this little adventure would prove interesting after all.

"Pick up the pace, Pinky!"

That is if he doesn't strangle Neptune first.

"Shut it, you damn midget!"

 **·····Save Complete·····**

So I tried to get this chapter out before the end of November or early December.

That clearly didn't happen.

At any rate, if you haven't seen the update I posted on my profile page, life happened and I couldn't find the time to work on ReBirth Dragon until the past two months. Thankfully, with the holidays over for the most part and work winding down, I'll be able to dedicate more time to the story. I've got a pretty good idea of where I want to go with the plot and what changes I want to introduce to it.

On a side note, I recently played the original Hyperdimension Neptunia (got all the endings) and I found myself enjoying the game quite a bit, despite the repetitive gameplay, annoying battle and healing system, and the rather bland soundtrack (Also, recruiting the other CPUs with only a level 50 Neptune was a PAIN.). The plot was a lot darker than I imagined, though I did find it a bit refreshing compared to the remake. The enemy roster was also very different, with some pretty interesting monster designs like the Leviathan and Centaur (also, some of them were MASSIVE compared to Nep and co.). Needless to say that some of these monsters will be making their way into the story, as I feel they'll be a nice contrast compared with their remake counterparts. Oh, and in case you're wondering, the beam attack that the Guard Vermin did in this chapter is from the original game as well, as there are several more of the things you have to fight later on the story and will use that particular attack at low health.

Also, I'm thinking of adding some of the characters from the original game into the story as well. I rather liked Nisa and 5bp, Gust was meh for the most part, and Red was…well, Red. Maybe have them make little cameos in some side events I'm thinking of doing without actually adding them to the main plot.

So yea, that's it for now. Until next time.

P.S. Though I'm a little late, Happy New Year's everyone!

 _ **[Updated 8/28/2018]**_


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